LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



%p 






yppt 



to 



-hell. ,.L4 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



■ 



m 



■ 



THE 



>Sr 



A 



RUTHS OF IALYATION. 



r. J. 3PE 



REV. J. PERGMAYR, S. J., 



Translated from the German by a Father of the same Society, 



Wtik flit %mt&##iim at gnytxims. 



1 






u Leartt,/i>r the sake of thy Creator, to overcome thyself in all things: 
and then thou shalt be able to attain divine knowledge" — 

Follo wing of C hrist, III Book, 42 Chapter. 

J^ 



W 



N o44?3 

New York, ^v^CT^p^^iSii St. Louis : 

BENZIGER BROTHERS, 

Publishers to the Holy Apostolic See, 
1882. 




B* 



%.\«* 

-?*( 




Kmprttttatur. 

John, Cardinal McCloskey, 

Archbishop of New York. 



Copyright, 1882, by Benziger Brothers. 



Newark, N. %, February 15, 1882. 
Rev. dear Father: 

I take great pleasure in recommending 
Pergmayr's "Truths of Salvation/' which 
you have had the happy inspiration to trans- 
late from the German into English. The 
work itself is one of great merit, and calculat- 
ed to do much good, and to be a safe and 
efficient guide to souls aspiring to Christian 
perfection. 

Hoping that the book in its English 
dress will meet with all the success it so rich- 
ly deserves, I remain 

your Servant in Christ, 

* W. M. WIGGER, 

Bishop of Newark. 



PREFACE. 



There are few who reap permanent fruit from 
a retreat. The cause is twofold. First, during 
this time they do not enter seriously into a thor- 
ough consideration of the eternal truths. These 
truths being only superficially reflected on, exert, 
consequently, but little influence upon their lives. 
Secondly, they do not fully examine the state of 
their souls, and therefore not knowing their de- 
fects leave them uncorrected. Self-knowledge is 
the first step to amendment of life. Father Lal- 
lemant, in " The Spiritual Doctrine," says: "The 
heart recoils from nothing so much as this search 
and scrutiny which make it see and feel its own 
miseries. All the powers of our soul are dis- 
ordered beyond measure, and this we do not 
wish to know, because the knowledge is humili- 
ating to us. Our soul does not enter into itself 
except with pain, seeing nothing but sins, mis- 
eries, and confusion. So that, to avoid this dis- 
tressing and humiliating sight, it hurries instant- 
ly out again, and goes to seek its consolation in 
creatures, unless we keep it carefully to its duty." 
In the " Lives of the Saints/' the Rev. Dr. Alban 
Butler remarks: "A true penitent must apply 
himself to the difficult work of self-examination 
in order to discover every latent inordinate affec- 
tion or passion. Sin must be pursued home to 
its roots, and the evil tendencies of the soul dis- 
lodged thence, otherwise all will be to no pur- 



4 Preface. 

pose. By earnest prayer, mortification, alms, 
and holy meditation, penitential sorrow must be 
improved till it has forced its way into the in- 
nermost recesses of the soul, shaken all the pow- 
ers of sin, and formed the new man, so little un- 
derstood among Christians, though it is the very 
essence of a Christian life." 

The present little work is offered to those who 
earnestly desire to consider the truths of salva- 
tion and to acquire self-knowledge. They must, 
however, bear in mind, that the thorough con- 
sideration of divine things and of themselves 
must be their own work and not that of others. 
It rests with themselves to elicit particular resolu- 
tions and affections. St. Ignatius says: "Should 
one happen to discover, whether through his own 
reasoning or through a light from heaven, any- 
thing which helps, in the least degree, to throw 
light on the subject, he derives from this a far 
more pleasant relish and much richer fruit than 
from the fuller statement and explanation of an- 
other. For it is not the quantity of knowledge, 
but the internal perception and relish of the ob- 
jects of knowledge which satisfy the desires of 
the soul." 

But some are unaccustomed to meditate; others 
are incapable, from weakness or indisposition, of 
mental application: both classes will be aided by 
this little work. They should read, however, the 
meditations and self-examinations very slowly so 
as to be able to evolve from their own minds the 
affections they see suggested therein. Those who 
wish to use with advantage " The Truths of Sal- 
vation" must peruse them often after the re- 
treat, till they have so far imbibed them that 
their lives may be modelled thereon. 

The success of a retreat must be attributed to 



Preface. 5 

grace more than to our own efforts: "Thou wilt 
never attain to this unless thou be prevented and 
drawn by His grace, that so thou mayest be united 
to Him alone, when thou hast cast out and dis- 
missed all others." (Following of Christ, i. 8. 5.) 

If we would become fit instruments in the 
hands of God, we could perform wonders. This 
retreat, though limited to eight days, contains 
the four weeks of the spiritual exercises in an 
abridged form. To have a full knowledge of 
these four weeks, let us hear the words of his 
Eminence, Cardinal Wiseman: 

"The reader will observe that the Exercises 
are divided into four weeks; and each of these 
has a specific object to advance the exercitant an 
additional step towards perfect virtue. If the 
work of each week be thoroughly done, this is 
actually accomplished. 

" The first week has for its aim the cleansing of 
the conscience from past sin and of the affections 
from their future dangers. For this purpose, 
the soul is made to convince itself deeply of the 
true end of its being — to serve God and be saved; 
and of the real worth of all else. This consider- 
ation has been justly called by St. Ignatius, the 
principle or foundation of the entire system. 

" No limits are put to the time that may be spent 
upon this subject; it ought not to be left till the 
mind is made up that nothing is worth aiming 
at but God and salvation, and that to all other 
things we must be indifferent. They are but in- 
struments or hindrances in the acquisition of 
these, and accordingly they must be treated. It 
is clear that the person, who has brought himself 
to this state of mind, has fully prepared himself 
for submitting to whatever he may be required 
to do by God for attaining his end. 



6 Preface. 

" Upon this groundwork is raised the duty of 
the first week. Considerations of the punish- 
ment of sin which lead us gradually to an ab- 
horrence of it in itself, make the sinner sift and 
thoroughly unburden his conscience. The fear 
of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, is 
thus the first agent in the great work of change; 
a change not prospective or mental, but real. 
Sin is abandoned, hated, loathed. 

"At the conclusion of the painful task, the soul 
finds itself prostrate and full of anxieties. The 
past is remedied; but what is to be done for the 
future ? A rule to guide us, an example to en- 
courage us, high motives to animate us, are now 
wanting; and the three following weeks secure 
us these. 

"In the second, the life of Christ is made our 
model. By a series of contemplations of it we 
become familiar with His virtues, enamored of 
His perfections; we learn, by copying Him, to 
be obedient to God and man, meek, humble, 
affectionate, zealous, charitable, forgiving; men 
of only one wish and one thought — that of doing 
ever God's holy will alone, discreet, devout, ob- 
servant of every law, scrupulous performers of 
every duty. Every meditation on these subjects 
shows us how to do all this — in fact, makes us 
really do it. 

" Still, up to this point we have been dealt with 
kindly, as the Apostles were treated by their 
good Master. He told them not of these things — 
that is, of His sufferings — at first, lest sorrow 
should fill their hearts (John xvi. 5, 6). The 
milk of consolation and encouragement rnust 
precede the strong food of patience and con- 
formity. The third week brings us to this. 
Having desired and tried to be like Christ in ac- 



Preface. 7 

tion, we are brought to wish and endeavor to be 
like unto Him in suffering. For this purpose 
His sacred Passion becomes the engrossing sub- 
ject of the Exercises. The soul which has been 
brought near Him in admiration now clings to 
Him in loving sympathy— nay, finds her admira- 
tion redoubled at His divine bearing in sorrow, 
ignominy, and pain. Having already made up 
her mind to be like Him in all things, she is not 
now to be scared from resemblance by the bit- 
terness of suffering or disgrace. On the contrary, 
she wishes to suffer for Him, for the very love's 
sake, which made Him so suffer. Every medita- 
tion on the Passion strengthens, deepens, matures 
this feeling, and renders it a new power and 
affection of the soul. She has become a martyr 
in resolution and desire; she would go forth from 
this holy work of meditation to the realization 
of her earnest desire to suffer with Jesus. She 
is prepared for mortifications, for tribulations, 
persecutions, for death, for anything whereby 
she may be likened to her Lord and God. 

" But she must be convinced and feel that if she 
suffers, she shall also be glorified with Him; and 
hence the fourth and concluding week raises the 
soul to the consideration of those glories which 
crowned the humiliations and sufferings of our 
Lord. As throughout He is represented to us 
in His blessed Humanity as being our model, so 
here are our thoughts directed to Him, triumph- 
ant over death, but still conversing among men — 
those now who love Him, that so our love may 
be likewise with Him, in holy conversation and 
familiar intercourse, and so He may draw up our 
hearts with Him when He ascends to His Father; 
and there they may ever abide where our treasure 
is. Thus have we been gradually raised from 



8 Preface, 

fear to love, which henceforward is the ' inform- 
ing principle' (to borrow a phrase from the 
Schools) of our lives and being. 

" It is clear that if these various principles and 
feelings have been really infused into us, if they 
have been worked into our hearts, so as to form 
a part of their real practical influences, we shall 
come from the Exercises, duly performed, com- 
pletely changed, and fitted for our future course. 
Many indeed have experienced this. They have 
entered the place appointed for them, like a ves- 
sel shattered by the storms, bruised, and crip- 
pled, and useless; they have come forth with 
every breach repaired, every disfigurement re- 
moved; and what is of more importance, fur- 
nished with rudder and compass, sails and an- 
chor, all that can direct and guide, impel and 
secure them. What wonder if their songs of 
gratitude and joy resound along the main? 

" It will be seen that the Weeks of the Exercises 
do not mean necessarily a period of seven days. 
The original duration of their performance was 
certainly a month; but, even so, more or less 
time was allotted to each week's work, according 
to the discretion of the Director. Now, except 
in very particular circumstances, the entire period 
is abridged to ten days; sometimes it is still 
further reduced. But even so the form and dis- 
tribution of the Exercises must be strictly kept, 
and no anticipations or inversions must be per- 
mitted. It is impossible to make the slightest 
change in this respect without injury. 

"What has been said will perhaps explain, 
though inadequately, the wonderful power and 
efficacy of the i Spiritual Exercises of St. Igna- 
tius ' in thoroughly reforming the soul, and 



Preface. 9 

bringing it from sin to steady virtue. But the 
grand secret maybe said to consist in two points: 

" First, the entire work is performed by princi- 
ples, not by emotions which pass away. Convic- 
tion of the truth and reality of all that is in- 
culcated is aimed at and secured; reason is en- 
listed on the side of conscience, and whatever 
use is made of the feelings in the course of the 
Exercises, is but as scaffolding to assist in the 
erection of a solid structure of virtue, which will 
stand and weather the storm after it has been 
removed. 

" Secondly, the mind is made to act throughout, 
and to work out its own resolutions. Nothing 
is imposed on us by others, either through per- 
suasion or by authority; we are made to think, 
to conclude, to determine, and to act by a process 
essentially our own, so that there is no escape, 
and no danger from the reaction of self-love. 
No influence has been used, further than to guide 
rightly the exercise of our own powers; and even 
that direction has been given to us with our eyes 
open, and under the full conviction that we can- 
not shrink from a single step without going 
against reason and conscience. ,, 

Father Joseph Pergmayr, the author of " The 
Truths of Salvation," was born in Bavaria in 
1713; in 1733 he entered the Society of Jesus. 
This holy man preached during many years at 
Munich, and guided several religious communi- 
ties in the path of perfection. Being palsied in 
his hands he was obliged to use them both in 
order to write legibly; he was the author of va- 
rious pious works full of the unction of the Holy 
Ghost. He died a holy death at Munich on the 
23d of March, 1765. The "Truths of Salvation" 



10 Preface. 

will be found very useful to all Religious, but 
lay-persons desirous of laboring at their salvation 
will not find them less profitable. 

May this little work contribute to the greater 
glory of God and to the salvation and perfection 
of souls! 

In your charity pray for the 

Translator. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Preface 3 

FIRST DAY. 

The groundwork of the retreat . . . 21 

Meditation I.-— The End of Man. 

POINT I. 

It is just to live conformably to your end 21 

Affections. — Confession. Contrition 23 

POINT 11. 
It is advantageous to live conformably to your end. ... 24 
Affections, — Hope. Contempt of all temporal things ... 25 

POINT III. 

It is necessary to live conformably to your end 26 

Affections. — Fear. Resolution. A prayer to implore 
Divine grace 27 

Meditation II.— The End of Religious. 

POINT I. 

The excellence of your state requires of you to live con- 
formably to your end 29 

Affections. — Esteem for religious Vocation. An act of 
self-abasement 31 

POINT 11. 

The extraordinary love of God for you, requires of you 

to live according to your end 32 

Affections. — Gratitude. An act of self-abasement 33 



12 Contents. 

POINT III. page 

It is absolutely necessary for you to live according to 

your end 34 

Affections. — Fear. Resoluti©n. Love 36 

Meditation III. — On complete indifference 
towards creatures. 

POINT I. 

God's supreme dominion requires of you to keep your- 
self in a state of perfect indifference 38 

Affectio?is. — Acknowledgment of the dominion of God. 
Sorrow and Contrition 39 

POINT II. 

The Providence of God requires of you to keep your- 
self in complete indifference 40 

Affections. — Confidence. Self-abasement 42 

POINT III. 

The justice of God requires of you to keep yourself in 
complete indifference 43 

Affections. — Act of Humility. Resolution. A prayer to 
implore grace 44 



FIRST WEEK.— THE PURGATIVE WAY. 

SECOND DAY. 

Meditation I. — On the sin of the rebel angels 
and that of our first parents. 

POINT I. 

The punishment of the rebel angels shows what an in- 
finite evil sin is 46 

Affections. — Admiration. Contrition 48 



Contents. 1 3 

POINT II. page 

The punishment of our first parents also shows the in- 
finite evil of sin 49 

Affections. — Fear. Contrition 51 

POINT III. 

Reflections which necessarily follow the consideration 
of these truths 52 

Affections. — Compunction. Thanksgiving. Supplication. 53 

Meditation II. — On actual or personal sins. 

POINT I. 

We may judge of the infinite malice of sin from its 
effects. 55 

Affections. — Confusion. A prayer to implore grace 57 

POINT II. 

We also learn the infinite malice of sin from the abject 

state of one who offends God 58 

Affections. — Self-abasement. Compunction 60 

POINT III. 

The Supreme Majesty of God who is offended, plainly 

shows what an infinite evil sin is. . 61 

Affections. — Self-accusation. Compunction. ...,..,... 62 

Meditation III.— On the first pain of Hell— 
The pain of loss. 

POINT I. 

The damned in Hell lose God, their sovereign good 

and their supreme happiness 64 

Affections. — Confession. Resolution 66 

POINT II. 

The damned have in God their greatest enemy 67 

Affections. — Fear. Compunction. Resolution 68 



14 Contents. 



THIRD DAY. 

Meditation IV.— On the second pain of Hell — 
The pain of the senses. 

POINT I. PAGE 

The pains of the senses in Hell are terrible in their na- 
ture 70 

Affections. — Fear. A prayer for grace 71 

POINT II. 

The pains of the senses in Hell are terrible in their dura- 
tion 72 

Affections. — Thanksgiving. Compunction 74 

Meditation V. — What fruits shall now be 
gathered from the preceding meditations? 

FIRST FRUIT. 

To conceive a thorough sorrow for our sins 75 

SECOND FRUIT. 

To satisfy as much as possible the Divine Justice for 
past sins 76 

THIRD FRUIT. 

To avoid all venial sins, especially those which lead to 
mortal sin 77 

SECOND WEEK.— THE ILLUMINATIVE WAY. 

Meditation I.— On the reign of Christ. 

POINT I. 

It is just to follow Christ 80 

Affections. — Thanksgiving. Resolution 81 

POINT II. 

It is easy to follow Christ 82 

Affections. — Hope and Confidence 84 



Contents, 1 5 

POINT III. PACK 

It is necessary to follow Christ 85 

Affections. — Compunction. An act of Self-offering. ... 86 



FOURTH DAY. 

Meditation II. — On the wonderful humility 
which Christ exhibited in His Incarna- 
tion and His Birth. 

POINT I. 

Christ in His Incarnation and Birth utterly debased 

Himself 88 

Affections. — Confusion. Compunction 90 

POINT II. 

Christ from His birth out, all through life, willingly 
submitted to all the humiliations which came upon 
Him from others 91 

Affections. — Contempt of one's self. Acknowledgment. 92 

POINT III. 

Considerations on the humility of Jesus Christ 93 

Affections. — Confession and Sorrow. Resolutions and 
Supplication , 94 

Meditation III. — On the wonderful obedience 
of Christ in His hidden life. 

POINT I. 

Jesus underwent for the love of His Heavenly Father 
and for me all the hardships which perfect obedience 
invariably brings on. 96 

Affections. — Self-abasement. Compunction 98 

POINT II. 

On the wonderful happiness of a soul that practises 
blind and therefore perfect obedience 99 

Affections. — Faith. Hope and confidence. An act of 
love and self-offering 101 



16 Contents. 



Meditation IV. — On the wonderful charity and 
meekness of Christ in His public life. 

POINT I. PAGE 

Christ underwent first the hardships which render 

charity and meekness difficult „ 103 

Affections. — Confusion. Resolution 105 

POINT 11. 

The marvellous qualities of Jesus' charity for us 106 

Affections. — Compunction. Love. Resolution 107 



FIFTH DAY. 

Meditation V. — The conclusion of the Second 
Week. Maxims of spiritual life. 

Exercises of Obedience, of Humility, of Meekness, and 
Charity in 

THIRD WEEK. 

Intermediate Meditation I. — The Two Standards. 

POINT I. 

Whom we are to follow — Jesus Christ or Satan — may be 
seen from the design of the two leaders whom we 
now propose 113 

Affections 115 

POINT II. 

Whom we are to follow — Jesus Christ or Satan — may be 
seen by the ends to which both lead 115 

Affections 117 

POINT ill. 

Whom we are to follow — Jesus or Satan — may be seen 
by the end for which God has called us to the relig- 
ious life 118 

Affections. — Faith. Desire of union with God 120 



Contents. 1 7 



Intermediate Meditation II. — The three classes 
of men. 

POINT I. PAGE 

To the first class belong those who aim at perfection, 
but only in desire; they speak of it continually, but 
do not wish it sincerely 121 

Affections. — Fear. Compunction 123 

POINT 11. 

To the second class belong those who wish, it is true, 
to aim at perfection, but have not a universal and 
generous will 124 

Affections. — Acknowledgment. Resolution 126 

POINT III. 

To the third class belong those who have an earnest and 
generous wish to arrive at perfection, and are ready 
to do what God demands, and to suffer all that He 
requires for holiness of life 127 

Affections. — Fear. Resolution 128 



SIXTH DAY. 

Intermediate Meditation III. — On the third 
degree of humility, or the love of contempt. 

POINT I. 

It is just that we love contempt 129 

Affections. — An act of Self-abasement. Resolution... . 131 

POINT II. 

Our own interest requires that we love contempt 131 

Affections 133 

POINT III. 

Its very excellence requires that we love contempt 134 

Affections. — Prayer to obtain the spirit of humility. ... 135 



1 8 Contents. 



Meditation I. — On the interior sufferings of 
Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

POINT I. PAGE 

Christ has led the way in suffering all the interior 

trials, which are met with on the road to perfection. 137 
Affections. — Astonishment. Resolution 139 



The state of dereliction is more profitable to us than 
that of consolation 140 

Affections. — Oblation. A prayer to obtain fortitude. . . 141 



SEVENTH DAY. 

Meditation II. — On the exterior sufferings of 
Jesus Christ while hanging on the cross. 

POINT I. 

We can never suffer in our bodies what Jesus has suf- 
fered in His body 143 

Affections. — Thanksgiving. Resolution 144 

POINT II. 

Christ's patience was as wonderful as His pains were 
terrible 145 

Affections. — Self-confusion. Acknowledgment and Re- 
solution 147 

Meditation III. — On the affronts and outrages 
which Jesus suffered. 

POINT I. 

There never has been one and never will there be one 
who suffered such affronts and outrages as Jesus 
Christ 148 

Affections. — Admiration of Jesus' meekness. Self-con- 
fusion 151 



Contents. 1 9 

POINT II. PAGE 

There never has been one and never will there be one 
who suffered outrages and insults in the manner in 
which Christ suffered them 152 

Affections. — Esteem and Love of Contempt. Compunc- 
tion and Resolution- 153 

Meditation IV.— On the love which Christ 
on the cross has shown for His enemies. 

POINT I. 

The Love of Jesus was wonderful on account of the 
circumstances, and of the hatred and rage of His 
enemies 154 

Affectio?is. — Self-abasement. Contrition 157 

POINT II. 

The Love of Jesus was wonderful on account of the 
circumstances of His love 158 

Affections. — Compunction. Resolution and Supplication. 160 
End of the third week. The soul is beginning to be 
prepared for union with God 161 



THE FOURTH WEEK.— THE UNITIVE WAY. 

EIGHTH DAY 
Meditation I. — On the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

POINT I. 

The happiness of His resurrection was as great as the 
bitterness of His suffering was terrible 166 

Affections. — Rejoicing at the Glory of Jesus Christ. A 

desire of the same happiness „ 168 

POINT 11. 

Holy thoughts and resolutions that arise from the medi- 
tation on the Resurrection . . ., 168 

Affections. — An Act of Faith. Compunction. On the 
love of God , 1 70 



20 Contents. 



Meditation II. — God is infinitely good towards us. 

POINT I. PAGE 

God deserves to be loved on account of His being infi- 
nitely good to us here on earth 171 

Affections. — Admiration of the love of God. Compunc- 
tion and An Act of Love 173 

POINT II. 

God deserves to Yje loved on account of His being infi- 
nitely good to us hereafter 174 

Affections.— An Act of Love. Desire to love God per- 
fectly ^ 175 

Meditation III. — God is infinitely good in Himself. 

POINT I. 

God deserves to be loved, because He is the Supreme 

Good 176 ' 

Affections. — Confusion and Astonishment. Resolution 

and Compunction 1 79 

POINT 11. 

God deserves to be loved, because He is the only Good. 180 

Affections. — Confusion. An Act of Love and Oblation. 

Petition i82j 

SELF-EXAMINATION. 

Introductory Remarks. 

First Day. — Examination on Purity of Heart . 188 

Second Day. — Examination on Inordinate Love 194 

Third Day. — Examination on the Desire of Esteem and 

Honor 199 

Fourth Day. — Examination on Sloth and Sadness... . . . 203 

Fifth Day. — Examination on Anger 212 

Sixth Day. — Examination on Inordinate Zeal 216 

Seventh Day. — Examination on our Love for God.. . . .. 221 

Eighth Day. — Examination on the Love of our Neighbor 229 



FIRST DAY. 



This day forms the groundwork of the re- 
treat. Its meditations tend to two purposes: 

ist. To make us thoroughly understand the 
end for which we were created; viz., to honor 
and love God in this world, and to enjoy Him 
forever in the next. 

2d. To make us strenuously resolve to attain 
this end. 



JHeiritatton 1. 

The End of Man. 



POINT I. 



It is Just to Live Conformably to your 
End. 

Go back, in imagination, a little, and remem- 
ber that a hundred years ago you were nothing. 
God first created your body, and then breathed 
into it an immortal soul, and you were a human 
being. You are therefore the work of an Infi- 
nite Wisdom, of an Infinite Goodness, and thus 
wholly God's. 



22 The Truths of Salvation. 

ist. You are a work of Infinite Wisdom. In- 
finite Wisdom cannot create anything without an 
end worthy of Itself. This end is no other than 
that you should know, honor, and love God in 
this world, and in the next see and enjoy Him 
forever. Your duty, therefore, has ever been, 
and ever will be, to honor and love God. 

2d. You are a work of Infinite Goodness. 
Suppose yourself in the world, in the same state 
of life and with the same gifts you now enjoy, 
but that you are speechless. God loosens your 
tongue and enables you to speak, on this condi- 
tion : Never henceforth to utter a word but for 
His honor and glory. Can there be anything 
more just than that this tongue should always 
praise Him who gave it the power of speech ? 
Pause, and consider whether you have a sense of 
your body, or a faculty of your soul, which was 
not given you for a similar purpose. 

3d. You are wholly God's. He has created 
you out of nothing, and He is consequently your 
Lord and Master. He who owns a garden, and 
has it tilled and planted, is the sole master of 
all that it produces. Whoever takes therefrom 
against his will is guilty of theft. It is a trite 
axiom, To the owner of the soil belong the fruits 
of it. God created you. He is therefore the 
Lord, and the Master of all that arises from you. 
To foster then a single affection w T hich does not 
tend to His glory, to say or to do anything which 
is not in some way for His praise and love, is in- 
justice. Servants are deserving of blame in the 






The End of Man. 23 

discharge of their duties in two ways. First, by 
remissness, or a superficial performance of their 
obligations. Secondly, by malice or the guilt 
of actual injury to those whom they serve. How 
have you served God, your Master? What does 
your conscience say ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

Confession. — O my God, I see how sinful my 
life has been ! My end was to honor and love 
Thee with my whole heart and soul ; I should 
never have spent a moment, never spoken a 
word, never performed an action which tended 
not, in some way or other, to Thy honor. And 
what have I done ! In what and for whom have 
the hours of my life been employed ? On whom 
have the affections of my soul been centred ? 
Ah ! how much have I done for the creature, and 
how little for Thee, my Creator ! Woe unto me ! 
How tepid, how ungrateful, and how wicked 
have I been ! 

Contrition. — What now remains for me, O my 
God, but to implore Thy clemency and forgive- 
ness? I detest my sins with my whole heart, 
and wish every day which has not been spent in 
Thy service to be blotted out from the number 
of my days. 



24 The Truths of Salvation. 



POINT II. 

It is Advantageous to Live Conformably to 
your End. 

The ena tor which God created you is not 
only for His own glory, to honor and love Him 

in this world, but also for your eternal happi- 
ness, to enjoy Him in the next. As truly as you 
are now living on earth, so truly will you one 
day dwell in heaven, if you serve God faithfully. 
Here pause and consider the happiness which 
awaits you. 

ist. There is in heaven supreme happiness for 
the soul. To wish to understand the bliss which 
a soul enjoys in heaven would be as it were to 
drain the ocean of its waters. One thought, 
however, will help you to conceive in some way 
its extent. The happiness of God is infinite, and 
this infinite happiness is the end of your creation. 
God wishes you to partake of the same happi- 
ness which He Himself enjoys, and to share in 
the same glory which He Himself possesses. 

2d. There is in heaven, likewise, a supreme 
happiness for the body. The soul does not 
alone serve God, but it is assisted frequently by 
the body. The body, therefore, must share the 
recompense awarded to the soul. But what 
tongue can express the happiness of the body ? 
Happiness so great that, as the Apostle says, 
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath 



The End of Man, 2 5 

it entered into the heart of man, what things 
God hath prepared for them that love Him." 

3d. This happiness will last forever. How 
brief is earthly enjoyment, compared with 
heavenly? Long ere this there lived kings and 
queens, whose splendor dazzled millions, and 
whose sceptre made empires tremble. Where 
are they now? They are mouldering in the 
dust, and even trampled under foot. To-day 
there are potentates who are almost worshipped 
as deities; a hundred years hence what will re- 
main of them ? Nothing but a handful of dust, 
which the wind scatters at will. Not such is 
the glory that awaits you. Its duration is eter- 
nal. The joys which ravish all the faculties of 
the soul are eternal. That torrent of delights 
which inundates the senses of the body is eter- 
nal. All is without change, without cessation, 
forever. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Hope. — O Infinite Goodness ! How consoling 
is this truth: Heaven is my country, my inherit- 
ance, eternally mine ! If I honor and love God, 
a day will come in which I shall surpass the sun 
in brightness, in which I myself shall behold 
the heavenly paradise, where soul and body will 
be inebriated with the torrent of its delights. 
O blessed day ! Dare I hope for thee ? Yes, I 
hope for thee, and I hope for thee most confi- 
dently. God's promise is pledged thereunto. 

Contempt of all temporal things.— If Hea- 



26 The Truths of Salvation, 

ven is mine, why do I not despise the world and 
all it offers ? Why do I repine at the ills of the 
body, if this same body shall enjoy uninter- 
rupted delights ? Why does the contempt of 
men disquiet and afflict me, if I am to be es- 
teemed and loved forever by God and His saints? 
O my God, I have been blind and have prized 
too highly the things of earth. 



/ 



POINT III. 

It is Necessary to Live Conformably to your 
End. 

ist. God is Infinite Goodness and Infinite 
Justice. Engrave deeply the following truth on 
your mind: As His Goodness is Infinite, it is 
impossible for Him not to love and reward eter- 
nally those who honor Him, and as His Justice 
is Infinite, it is impossible for Him not to detest 
and punish eternally those who contemn Him. 

2d. The Infinite Goodness of God created 
Heaven, and His Infinite Justice made Hell. In 
Heaven He will reward forever faithful souls, and 
they will praise and glorify Him forever; in hell 
He will hate and punish everlastingly unfaithful 
souls, and they will never cease to curse and blas- 
pheme Him. 

3d. Hence if you honor and love God on 
earth, your bliss in Heaven will eternally pro- 
claim His mercy; if you refuse to honor and 
love Him on earth, your damnatior; shall exalt 



The End of Man. 2j 

His Justice in Hell. Heaven and earth will pass 
away, but His word shall not pass away. You 
will therefore either dwell forever in Heaven or 
suffer eternally in Hell. Your soul will either 
love or hate God unceasingly, for your soul is 
immortal. Your body will either enjoy the ever- 
lasting bliss of Heaven or suffer the eternal tor- 
ments of Hell; for this body, being raised from 
the dead, will die no more. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Fear. — O my God ! shall I be numbered 
among the blessed ? O awful question which 
makes me shudder ! Shall I be inebriated with 
the joys of Heaven? I know not; but this I 
know, that Thou, O Lord, hast said: " He that 
loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth 
his life in this world keepeth it unto life eternal " 
(St John xii. 25). These are Thy words. To 
love my life signifies to delight in sensual things, 
to follow the bent of my own will, to fly from 
contempt, to be displeased with those who of- 
fend me To hate my life means to mortify my- 
self, to deny my own will, to accept willingly 
and even to seek contempt, to return good for 
evil. Have I acted thus until now ? Woe is me ! 
The words of my Saviour condemn me. I have 
not been of the number of those who hate their 
lives. 

Resolution.— O my God, if to gain my end 
is to be eternally happy, and if to lose my end 
is to be eternally miserable, how can I be so 



28 The Truths of * Salvation. 

careless in so important a matter ? Should I not 
from this out gladly sacrifice the highest of earth- 
ly enjoyments, were it necessary, to purchase 
those of Heaven ? Should I not from this out 
be willing to shed my blood, if necessary, in or- 
der to escape Hell ? Most certainly to procure 
an infinite good, or to avoid an infinite evil, one 
can never do enough, and never suffer enough. 

my God, prostrate in Thy presence, I resolve 
to gain my end, cost what it may. For this pur- 
pose I resolve t© refuse no sacrifice. Whatever I 
shall discover in the course of these holy exer- 
cises to be useful or necessary to my soul, that I 
will do. 

A Prayer to Employ Divine Grace. 

How often have I taken these resolutions and 
how often have I broken them ? I need, there- 
fore, O God, Thy help; otherwise I shall be lost. 

1 turn then to Thee, O Heavenly Father ! 
Hearken to the cry of my heart. O Infinite 
Goodness, deal not with me according to my 
deserts, but according to Thy infinite mercy; 
deal not with me according to the severity of 
Thy Justice, but according to Thy Infinite Good- 
ness and tender compassion. 






The End of Religious. 29 

filtbttatxon 2. 

The End of Religious. 



POINT I. 

The Excellence of your State requires of 
you to Live Conformably to your End. 

Do you sufficiently comprehend its dignity ? 
Your end is to honor and love God in this world; 
but in a higher degree, and in a more perfect 
manner, than seculars, and, in the next, to enjoy 
God eternally, but in a higher and more perfect 
degree of glory than seculars. Consider the 
advantages which this state possesses. The first 
advantage is the assurance of your salvation. If 
you live as your state requires, you would wrong 
God by entertaining the least doubt of your sal- 
vation. Listen to the promise He made: " Every 
one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, 
or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for 
my name's sake, shall receive a hundred-fold, 
and shall possess life everlasting" (St. Matthew 
xix. 29). Who is it that spoke thus ? God, who 
in His words is Truth itself, and who is infinite- 
ly faithful to His promises. What can be more 
consoling than this ? 

The second advantage is sanctity, and union 
with God. On the day that God called you to 
a religious life He also called you to holiness. 



30 The Truths of Salvation, 

He wished you to consecrate to Him, at that 
time, your soul, with all its faculties and affec- 
tions. This was God's intention. For this pur- 
pose only He withdrew you from the turmoil of 
the world, and led you into the retirement of the 
cell, that He alone might reign as Sovereign 
Lord in your heart, inflame it with the ardor of 
His love, and prepare it, little by little, for the 
abode in which He with you and you with Him 
may live in the most tender familiarity. 

The third advantage is a high degree of glory 
in Heaven. All the blessed in Heaven are sov- 
ereigns, and enjoy ineffable happiness. Still one 
exceeds another in glory, as the brilliancy of the 
sun surpasses the radiance of the smaller lumi- 
naries. To you, O Religious! belongs the glory 
which will exalt you above myriads of the elect; 
it is promised you; for you it is prepared. "If 
thou w r ilt be perfect," says the Eternal Truth, 
" go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, 
and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and 
come, follow me" (St. Matt. xix. 21). 

Picture to yourself an infant prince, heir to a 
kingdom. This child cannot appreciate his pre- 
rogative, but others gaze on him with venera- 
tion, esteem him happy, and regard his position 
as the most enviable one in the world. Nature 
has elevated him above millions of men, fortune 
has lavished on him its choicest gifts, so that his 
life will be spent in the enjoyment of the most 
refined pleasures. Were the eyes of your soul 
sufficiently enlightened, how much more envi- 
able would your state of life appear ? After a 



The End of Religions. 3 1 

short lapse of time, you will have come to your 
inheritance; you will sit among the Angels, and 
a glorious crown will encircle your brow. You 
will be filled with delights, in comparison with 
which all the pleasures of the world will be 
naught but empty bubbles. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Esteem for Religious Vocation. — Is this, 
then, the end for which God led me into solitude ? 
To know and love God in this life more fer- 
vently than seculars, and also to possess Him in 
the other life in a higher degree of glory ? To 
be admitted to a more intimate friendship with 
Him, to love Him ardently, and to be loved by 
Him in return, and to commence here below the 
union which is to continue in Heaven without 
end ? Oh ! what a signal favor is this ! Blessed 
and praised forever be such Infinite Goodness 
and mercy ! 

An Act of Self-abasement. — How much 
should this very favor humble me ? It tells me 
to be meek and gentle; to bear in silence, and 
with tranquillity, the pains inflicted by my 
neighbor; to suffer contempt and humiliations 
without being troubled; to practise an obedience 
which makes me ready at every moment to sub- 
mit my will to that of superiors; to be inflamed 
with so great a love of God as to spend hours 
in uninterrupted communion with Him. This 
is the perfection to which the grace of my vo- 
cation calls me. Do I correspond to it ? What 
is my answer? 



32 The Truths of Salvation. 



POINT II. 

The Extraordinary Love of God for you 
requires of you to llve according to your 
End. 

To understand the greatness of His love, con- 
sider the following truths: 

ist. God called you to the religious life with ■ 
wonderful predilection. You did not choose 
Him, but He you. " You have not chosen Me," 
said Christ to His Apostles, "but I have chosen 
you." The first thought which you had of this 
sort of life, your first inclination towards it, the 
fortitude by which you conquered the obstacles, 
came purely from Him. The election was His, 
not yours; for, He without you would have been 
equally happy. 

2d. God called you without your deserving 
this grace. How many millions have been left 
to battle with the dangers and temptations of 
the world, who would have served God better 
than you ? Nevertheless God has left them and 
chosen you. 

3d. God called you to a religious life, though 
others, if chosen, would have paid Him greater 
honor and glory. How many millions live in 
the world who will be irretrievably lost; all of 
them would have been saved, had God conferred 
on them the graces He has lavished on you ! 
How many thousands are there in the world 
who would have attained an eminent degree of 



The End of Religious, 3 3 

sanctity, had they received the same grace of 
vocation as you ? But His foreknowledge did 
not incline Him to prefer them to you. On 
you He cast His eyes and drew you to Himself. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Gratitude. — How boundless is Thy goodness 
and mercy to me, O my God ! How much hast 
Thou done to lead me to You ? Tens of thou- 
sands would have more faithfully corresponded 
to Your graces, and through them would have 
reached perfection. Thou hast overlooked them, 
and chosen me. O incomprehensible Love ! 
How much do I owe Thee ? 

An Act of Self-abasement. — The nobler and 
the more exalted religious life is, the greater is 
my ingratitude. How many persons live in the 
world who, for all their life, obey the commands 
of pitiless masters without murmuring, while I 
cannot do the will of God, the best of masters, 
even in the most trifling matters ? How many 
who for whole years are pinched by poverty, 
who are calumniated, despised, and sorely per- 
secuted, and who nevertheless bear all in silence, 
and submit cheerfully to the will of God, while 
I complain, and shrink from the least cross. 
Jesus ! How much art Thou offended by me ! 
since fewer graces have brought forth so much 
fruit in these souls, and in me Thy multiplied 
graces have produced little or none ! Shall not 
the words of Thy threat be verified in me: " Be- 
hold, they are last that shall be first, and they 
are first that shall be last" (St. Luke xiii. 30). 



34 The Truths of Salvation. 

POINT III. 

It is Absolutely Necessary for you to Live 
according to your end. 

You must honor and love God, but in a higher 
degree and in a more perfect manner than per- 
sons living in the world. This is the obligation 
which God imposes on you. How will it fare 
with you, if you fail to comply with it ? Alas ! 
miserably, my soul, miserably, whether God 
deals with you according to His Mercy, or ac- 
cording to His Justice. 

ist. If God deals with you according to His 
Mercy, you may attain unto salvation, but in an 
inferior degree, and after undergoing protracted 
sufferings in Purgatory. I say, in an inferior 
degree. God hath prepared for you an ex- 
alted throne in Heaven, but since you render 
yourself unworthy of it by your tepidity, He will 
deprive you of the clear light of your under- 
standing, of the tender inclinations of your 
heart; He will deprive you of the extraordinary 
graces wherewith He would have enriched you, 
and will bestow them on an humble servant, on 
a pious w T idow, or on a poor beggar, who will 
employ them in fervently serving Him. I say, 
moreover, only after protracted sufferings in 
Purgatory. It is certain that the tepid Relig- 
ious commits innumerable venial sins. It is 
certain that each day increases their number. 
It is certain that every venial sin, if not atoned 



The End of Religious. 3 5 

for in this life, must be expiated in the fire of 
Purgatory. How long this suffering may last, 
no one can say, and judge thence what your con- 
dition will be after a long life of tepidity, even 
if God deals with you according to His Mercy. 

2d. But if God treats you according to His 
Justice, then you may look upon your perdition 
as inevitable, but it will be far more terrible, 
than that of persons dying in the world. 

I say first, your perdition is inevitable. " The 
earth," says the Holy Ghost, " that drinketh in 
the rain which cometh often upon it, and which 
bringeth forth thorns and briars, is reprobate, 
and very near unto a curse" (Heb. vi. 7). 

This earth is your soul, which has been inun- 
dated with showers of heavenly graces and in- 
spirations such as to lead readily to sanctity. 
What will then happen ? The land will be left 
barren and accursed. 

I say secondly, perdition more terrible than 
that of persons living in the world awaits you. 
The more ardent God's love is for a soul in this 
world, the more severe is His Justice in the next, 
if His love is contemned. The more generous 
is His liberality here on earth, the greater is His 
anger hereafter, if His graces are abused. Wit- 
ness the withering threats pronounced against 
those unfortunate cities, which had received so 
many graces from Christ, and with which they 
did not correspond: "Wo to thee, Corazain; wo 
to thee, Bethsaida; for if in Tyre and Sidon had 
been wrought the miracles that have been 



36 The Truths of Salvation. 

wrought in you, they had long ago done pen- 
ance in hair-cloth and ashes. But I say unto 
you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and 
Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 
And thou, Capharnaum, shalt thou be exalted 
up to Heaven ? Thou shalt go down even unto 
Heir' (St. Matt. xi. 21). When Christ acts ac- 
cording to His Justice, the unfortunate Relig- 
ious, who would have been higher in Heaven, sink 
lower in Hell. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Fear. — O my God ! shall I be saved ? Shall I 
ever see Thee ? A tepid, unmortified life cannot 
save me. So long as love is not ardent, prayer 
fervent, mortification earnest, my salvation is 
not sure. Countless numbers have been lost 
who were less tepid than I, but on account of 
their abuse of grace, God withheld from them 
His final assistance. O Jesus ! My lukewarm- 
ness has deserved nothing else but that I be re- 
jected by Thee. 

Resolution. — But how long, O my God ! shall 
I delay ? Alas ! Too many years have I spent 
in tepidity, and too many graces I have abused. 
It is time that I arise from my torpor, and ear- 
nestly set about the work of my perfection. 
Now, O Jesus ! this very hour I will begin to 
serve Thee as Thou desirest. 

Love. — Is it possible for me ever to love God 
perfectly ? Yes, it is possible. O consoling as- 
surance ! Now, this very hour, I can love Thee, 



Indifference towards Creatures, 37 

God ! perfectly. I turn therefore m} whole 
heart to Thee, O Infinite Being. Would that I 
could combine in my heart the ardent love of 
the heavenly spirits ! From this out I will re- 
trieve lost time, and hasten to life everlasting. 

1 resolve to do everything during these days, 
that I know to be agreeable unto Thee. Foster 
this my love of Thee, O Jesus, and stir it up, by 
Thy grace, to a lively flame. 



invitation 3. 

On Complete Indifference to- 
wards Creatures. 

Eternal salvation may be lost, either through 
an inordinate attachment to some created things 
or through aversion for others. The first are 
earthly comforts, or the gratification of the 
senses, wealth, honor and esteem of men. The 
others are poverty, suffering, contempt, sickness, 
and premature death. If, then, you desire to 
secure your last end, you must renounce all nat- 
ural inclinations and aversions for things of this 
sort, being ready to sacrifice whatever is most 
pleasant, should it be an obstacle to your salva- 
tion, and to enter upon any undertaking, how- 
ever painful to nature, which will help you to 
obtain your soul's eternal welfare. 



38 The Truths of Salvation. 



POINT I. 

God's Supreme Dominion requires of you to 
keep yourself in a state of perfect in- 
DIFFERENCE. 

The end of your existence in this world is, to 
honor and love God perfectly; but to honor and 
love God perfectly means nothing but to fulfil 
exactly His holy will. Now this cannot be done, 
unless the heart be equally disposed to accept 
health or sickness, esteem or contempt. 

Reflect then seriously on the following truths: 

ist. God, not you, must determine the manner 
in which you have to serve Him. You must 
serve Him as He wills, not as you please. He 
is the Master, and you the servant. The mas- 
ter's right is to command, the servant's duty is 
to obey. Even in the heavenly hierarchies this 
order is observed. Some of the Angels sing un- 
ceasingly before the throne of God canticles of 
praise, others attend and protect men; some are 
guardians of the just, others of the wicked: each 
serves God as he is commanded. Should God 
exercise less dominion on earth than in heaven ? 

2d. The supreme dominion of God is to pre- 
scribe to you the manner of serving Him. He 
is God and you are His creature. Who can or 
dare circumscribe His power? The potter does 
with his work what he lists; he puts it where he 
wishes, uses it for the meanest purposes; he 
breaks it into pieces; in short, disposes of it as 



Indifference towards Creatures. 39 

he fancies. Should God be denied the same 
right to treat man whom He created, that the 
potter has over the work of his hands ? 

3d. You serve God as He wills, when you 
honor and love Him perfectly, in the condition 
in which He has placed you. 

If you are intrusted with an office, you must 
discharge its duties earnestly, assiduously, and 
cheerfully, for the pure love of God. This is 
what loving and serving God as He wills means. If 
your soul is full of darkness, and a prey to 
temptations, sadness, and spiritual dereliction, 
you must bend beneath the cross, and kiss, as it 
were, the hand that strikes you. If you are 
hated, despised, and calumniated, you must 
drink the bitter chalice without complaint, for 
such is the will of your Heavenly Father. The 
farther you stray from this path, the more diffi- 
cult your road to Heaven will become. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Acknowledgment of the Dominion of God. 

. — O Supreme Good ! to Thee belongs the right 
to command. I am Thy creature, whose duty is 
to obey. I must honor and love Thee, but not 
as I will, but as Thou wilt. I acknowledge Thy 
supreme dominion, and humbly bow down be- 
fore it. Woe to those who presume to serve 
God according to their caprice. To serve God 
as they will, not as He wills, is to make them- 
selves the masters, and to degrade the great God 
to the condition of a servant. 



40 The Truths of Salvation. 

Sorrow and Contrition. — How is it possible 
that poor mortals can be found to act so con- 
trary to reason ? Alas ! even the religious state 
has too many such. I myself have been one of 
them; this I confess to my shame. I desire to 
love and serve Thee in good health; in sickness 
I like not to serve Thee. I will honor and love 
Thee as long as I possess the affection and es- 
teem of men, but in neglect and disgrace I am 
unwilling to serve Thee. I am anxious to love 
and worship Thee as long as I enjoy interior 
peace, and while sensible devotion dilates my 
heart, but in aridity and temptation I care not 
for serving Thee and forget Thee. 



POINT II. 

The Providence of God requires of you to 
keep yourself in complete indifference. 

As it is difficult to reach our final end without 
this holy indifference, so it is easy with it. To 
understand this better, consider the following 
truths: 

ist. God is Infinite Wisdom, and knows what 
means will conduct you surely to your last end. 
Everything may contribute to it, viz.: health or 
sickness, honor or contempt, an honorable or ab- 
ject office — all may be used as means, when used 
properly. Tell me now, which is the better 
means to lead you more safely to your last end, 
to be strong and hale in body or to be disabled 
by infirmities, to be loaded with honors or to be 



Indifference towards Creatures. 41 

the object of unmerited contempt and calumny, 
to be engaged in an honorable or low employ- 
ment ? This is a secret which bids defiance to 
the human intellect, an abyss whose depths no 
mortal eye can fathom, a mystery which is un- 
veiled only for God Omnipotent. 

2d. God is Infinite Love. As long as the soul 
remains in this indifference, He always ordains 
for it the most efficacious means to reach its last 
end. God is to the soul what a mother is to the 
child. Sooner would the most affectionate 
mother force her offspring to swallow a deadly 
potion than would God ordain anything hurtful 
to the soul that abandons itself entirely to Him. 
This is an incontestable truth. If God visits you 
with sickness, if He permits you to be despised 
and persecuted, if He leaves your soul in dark- 
ness, temptation, and dereliction, these are the 
means which shall prove most effective in en- 
abling you to gain your last end. 

3d. God is Infinite Power, and infallibly con- 
ducts the soul to its last end, as long as it perse- 
veres in this indifference. Who can understand 
the power of the Omnipotent ? Neither angel 
nor man, neither heaven, earth, nor hell, can pre- 
vail against His power. You alone are capable 
of putting obstacles in the way, if you withdraw 
yourself from the direction of God's providence. 
But, on the contrary, if you persevere in allow- 
ing yourself to be guided by it, God will conduct 
you surely to your end, Infinite Wisdom, Infinite 
Love, and Infinite Power as He is. 



42 



The Truths of Salvation. 



AFFECTIONS. 

Confidence. — How consoling is this thought: 
He who governs me is Wisdom itself, and He 
knows what means are the most sure. He who 
loves me is the fountain of all love, and at every 
moment ordains that which is best for me. He 
who guides me is Infinite Power, and when His 
hand supports and defends, no power can en- 
feeble or injure. Should I then not banish all diffi- 
dence from my heart ? With perfect confidence I 
throw myself into the arms of Thy fatherly care, 
O God ! I cry out to Thee: Thou wishest me to 
share with Thee the bliss of Heaven, where Thou 
hast prepared for me an exalted throne of glory. 
As great as this Thy favor is, so is the ardor of 
my hope. Thou art my Father, and Thy love 
shall conduct me to eternal happiness. 

Self-abasement. — How can I hope for this 
happiness ? It is only for those who honor and 
love Thee as Thou wiliest, and who keep them- 
selves in a spirit of perfect indifference. Am I 
one of these ? Alas ! how elated am I when 
warmed by the sun of sensible consolations? 
How troubled when its rays are obscured by the 
clouds of dereliction and temptations ! How 
joyfully do I obey one command, and how re- 
luctantly another! 



Indifference towards Creatures. 43 



POINT III. 

The Justice of God requires of you to keep 
yourself in complete indifference. 

If you do not with humble submission employ 
the means which God prescribes for your last 
end, His Justice will overtake you. Hence will 
follow incalculable misfortunes. 

1st. You will have to suffer incomparably more 
than if you were fortified by a spirit of indiffer- 
ence. You are sadly in error if you imagine you 
can evade the troubles and afflictions which the 
love of God has ordained as means to your end. 
These pains and temptations, that contempt and 
persecution, which He has appointed for you, 
you must endure. Now, let us suppose you are 
indifferent and bear these trials patiently. You 
then have this testimony, that you please God 
(Heb. xi. 5), who both strengthens you with an 
increase of grace by making your cross light 
and sweet; but if you have not this indifference, 
and unwillingly bear the cross, you displease 
God. He withdraws His helping hand from you 
and allows you to pine away unaided beneath its 
heavy weight. 

2d. You forfeit everlastingly the exalted de- 
gree of glory which would have been yours by 
God's eternal decree. It is impossible to attain 
to your end, except by the path which God has 
traced out. Were you to refuse to tread cheer- 



44 The Truths of Salvation, 

fully this path, you would toil in vain, you would 
never reach the goal. 

3d. Your very salvation is in danger. A soul 
that has not this indifference is necessarily sub- 
ject to many and grievous temptations. At one 
time it gives way either to anger and melan- 
choly or to sadness and diffidence; at another 
time it is swayed by pride and the fear of con- 
tempt. All the unsubdued passions spring up, 
sometimes simultaneously, at other times sepa- 
rately. To put down such foes as these requires 
the help of the God of armies. Will He succor 
in its afflictions a soul that withdraws itself from 
His guidance, that spurns the weapons He fur- 
nishes, that will acknowledge no law in His ser- 
vice but its own caprice ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

Act of Humility. — My Lord and my God ! in 
what a piteous state my soul is ! What darkness 
in my understanding, what disorder in my will ! 
I look upon pains and sickness as the greatest 
evils, and Thou regardest them as the surest 
means of my sanctification. I consider tempta- 
tions as the most deplorable misfortunes, and 
Thou seest in them so many steps to my exalta- 
tion in Heaven. I imagine that dereliction is 
my ruin, and Thou remindest me that if it be 
borne with resignation, it will be the brightest 
gem in my crown of glory. My judgment then 
leads me astray ! Alas ! this is not all: as my 
understanding is blind, so is my will perverse. 
The love of honor and esteem, the desire of com- 






Indifference towards Creatures. 45 

fort and of rest, these captivate my heart. Eager- 
ly do I grasp the poisoned cup and fling from me 
the sole antidote which could restore my health. 
Resolution. — I have clearly perceived these 
two things: 1st. I must honor and love Thee as 
Thou wilt, not as I will. 2d. I cannot honor and 
love Thee thus unless I be indifferent and em- 
ploy the means which Thou hast appointed; nei- 
ther can I secure my salvation and attain unto 
sanctity. I, therefore, divest myself of every at- 
tachment to creatures, and of every repugnance 
for them; honor or contempt, health or sickness, 
consolation or dryness, this or that command of 
my superiors, all shall henceforth be alike to me. 
Let nature repine and murmur; from this time 
forward Thy grace will prevail. This is my reso- 
lution, O my God! 

A Prayer to Implore Grace. 

How happy I am to have at last laid the cor- 
ner-stone ! My soul is now stamped with the 
characteristic of sanctity. I tread the path 
which will conduct to union with God. But 
who shall keep me in this state ? Surely not 
myself; my weakness is too great and my incon- 
stancy too manifest. Thy Omnipotence alone 
can sustain my infirmity. To Thee, therefore, I 
raise my whole soul, and I cry out: "O Jesus ! 
root out from my heart every attachment to 
creatures which flatters my self-sufficiency, and 
remove every repugnance which wounds self- 
love. Grant me to desire nothing but to please 
Thee, and to fear nothing but to offend Thee." 



FIRST WEEK. 

The Purgative Way. 

To-day opens the first week of the spiritual 
exercises. It contains five meditations. Its end 
is: i st. To consider in the light of faith the 
heinousness of sin. 2d. To bring to mind the 
multitude and grievousness of the sins of your 
life, and to bewail them sincerely. 3d. To take 
a firm resolution to die rather than to commit a 
mortal sin, which is the only evil that leads you 
away from your last end. 



SECOND DAY. 

Ulebxtation 1. 

On the Sin of the Rebel Angels .- 
and that of our flrst parents. 



POINT I. 



The Punishment of the Rebel Angels shows 
what an Infinite Evil Sin is. 

Go back in imagination to the time when God 
created Heaven and filled it with angels. Who 
could be happier than these blessed spirits? 
Their beauty was so ravishing that no mortal eye 
could have beheld it without dying of joy; their 



On the Sin of our First Parents. 47 

wisdom so exalted that Solomon's is but igno- 
rance compared with theirs. They were incapa- 
ble of suffering, their happiness was without 
alloy; their abode as pleasant as the heavenly 
Paradise. The gifts of their nature were great, 
but the gifts of grace were still greater. God 
had infused into their souls a perfect knowledge 
and an ardent love of Himself. Some of the 
angels abused the gifts of God's goodness. They 
did not serve Him as He willed, they sinned, and 
were immediately punished. 

The circumstances of this punishment were: 

1 st. It was a privation of all good. The rebel- 
lious angels were changed from the most beauti- 
ful spirits into the most hideous demons. For- 
merly they were the beloved children of God, 
now they became the object of His eternal wrath 
and hatred. 

2d. It was an accumulation of all evils. They 
were hurled down like lightning from the high- 
est heaven and plunged into the abyss of hell. 
There they suffer inconceivable torments. Their 
memory is racked by the most galling recollec- 
tions ; their understanding is clouded by their 
pride; their will the sport of ceaseless despair. 

3d. It was sudden and immediate. Had God 
granted to those unhappy spirits but a moment, 
they might have acknowledged and abhorred 
their sin, and loved Him ardently for all eter- 
nity, but Divine Justice willed it not. No sooner 
was the crime committed than the chastisement 
followed without a moment for reflection. 



48 The Truths of Salvation. 

4th. It was without satisfaction. These ac- 
cursed spirits had suffered many thousands of 
years the torments of Hell, when Christ came 
into the world to destroy sin. Did he put an end 
to their torments or bring them any alleviation ? 
Our merciful Lord, who shed so many tears over 
the city of Jerusalem, dropped not one to miti- 
gate their tortures. The crime was momentary, 
the chastisement eternal. 

Here pause and com template in spirit the ex- 
cruciating sufferings of these reprobate angels. 
Their aspect is so loathsome and so frightful, 
that no mortal could behold them without dying 
through terror. Then say to yourself: These 
demons were formerly spirits of transcendent 
beauty and masterpieces of Divine Omnipotence. 
What horrid crime have they committed to bring 
upon themselves this misfortune ? They yielded 
to a thought of pride; they sinned once, and for 
this one sin alone they have already suffered 
thousands of years, and their torments shall 
never cease. Who has passed such a frightful 
sentence on them ? God, . . . O dreadful truth ! 
Then either God is not Infinite Wisdom, Infinite 
Justice, and Infinite Mercy, or sin is an infinite 
evil which cannot be sufficiently deplored. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Admiration. — O my God, my only and Su- 
preme Good, what shall I now most admire — the 
severity of Thy Justice in chastising the rebel 
angels, or the excess of Thy Mercy towards me ? 



On the Sin of our First Parents. 49 

These heavenly spirits committed only one sin, 
and for this one sin Thou hast forever cast them 
from Thee, and I, but a handful of dust, have 
committed hundreds, perhaps thousands of sins, 
and Thou hast spared me. I have abused Thy 
Mercy, and after Thou hast pardoned me my 
sins, again and again have I raised my hand 
against Thee and said: I will not serve Thee; 
and still Thou hast pardoned me again. Even 
now Thou regardest me with eyes of affection 
and stretchest out to me the hands of Thy Mercy. 
Contrition. — This unbounded mercy fills my 
heart with sorrow. I have offended God, who 
has loved me more than He has those myriads 
of angels. I have offended God who, in the midst 
of my iniquities, has shielded me with the buck- 
ler of His Mercy. I have offended God who, 
notwithstanding the multitude of my sins, will 
never cease to love me throughout eternity. O 
ungrateful heart, how couldst thou despise such 
love and offend such goodness i Bitter sobs and 
tears should be my food day and night. 



POINT II. 

The Punishment of our First Parents also 
shows the Infinite Evil of Sin. 

The world has never witnessed greater happi- 
ness than that of our first parents. 

1st. Their abode was a beautiful and most de- 
lightful paradise. In it there was neither heat 



50 The Truths of Salvation. 

nor cold to mar their joys, neither rain nor wind 
interrupted the pleasant sunshine; the trees pro- 
duced, spontaneously, the richest fruits, the earth 
every variety of plants and flowers. 

2d. They had full dominion over the brute 
creation. The birds obeyed their call, the beasts 
approached at their beck and crouched at their 
feet; a single word brought the fishes to the sur- 
face of the waters. 

3d. The happiness of their bodies was com- 
plete. All around them throve without their 
care; they were strangers to labor and fatigue, 
to pains and infirmities, to old age and death. 
They had but to eat of the tree of life to main- 
tain their bodies in the bloom of health. 

4th. The happiness of their souls was incon- 
ceivable. The passions were wholly subject to 
reason; neither anger, sadness, envy, hatred, nor 
any inordinate passion disturbed the peace of 
their minds; they were blessed with a profound 
knowledge and ardent love of God; lastly, they 
were cheered by the promise that after a happy 
career, without sickness or death, they would ex- 
change the garden of Eden for the court of 
Heaven, and reign with God eternally. Despite 
the liberality of God they proved ungrateful, 
their crime was the more heinous, as the gener- 
osity of their benefactor was boundless. They 
sinned, and condign punishment overtook them. 

Consider now the circumstances of this pun- 
ishment. 

1st. For this one sin they lost the happiness of 



On the Sin of our First Parents. 5 1 

Eden. The earth was cursed, and became barren 
unless it would be moistened by the sweat of 
their brows; it brought forth nothing but briars 
and brambles; they were cursed in their bodies 
and condemned to suffering, sickness, and a bit- 
ter death, and likewise cursed in their souls, they 
became enemies to God, and were banished from 
Paradise to this vale of tears. 

2d. For this one sin all future generations 
were condemned to similar misery. Paradise is 
forfeited and we live on this earth full of sorrows; 
life is full of bitterness and death full of fear and 
terror; salvation is doubtful, and we cannot re- 
gain heaven but by tears and penance. 

3d. For this one sin the greater number of 
persons in the world will be damned for all eter- 
nity. All who shall be condemned will incur 
damnation on account of the uncontrolled pas- 
sions of their souls which drag them into sin; 
and the violence of their evil propensities is but 
the continuance of the punishment for the sin of 
our first parents. 

4th. For this one sin Jesus had to die on the 
cross. O stupendous wonder ! The Supreme 
Lord of heaven and earth was condemned to 
death — to the ignominious death of the cross. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Fear. — Faith reveals to me terrific truths. The 
most beautiful angels were cast out of heaven, 
the whole human race excluded from Paradise, 
and so many thousand millions of souls con- 



52 The Truths of Salvation. 

demned to the flames of hell ! Jesus, the Son of 
God, died on the Cross at the command of His 
Father, and all this for one only sin. O Sin, 
what an infinite evil is hidden in thee ! But since 
the Heavenly Father treated His only begotten 
Son so severely, how will He treat us who have 
committed so many and so grievous sins? How 
will He treat us who have remained in a state 
of sin for such a length of time, and who have 
so often relapsed after having been so often par- 
doned ? 

Contrition. — O my God, no hope for me re- 
mains but in Thy infinite mercy, no remedy but 
in my repentance. I prostrate myself before 
Thee and detest with my whole soul all my sins. 
I never should have offended so good a God; I 
should rather have sacrificed a thousand lives, if 
I had them, than be guilty of such foul ingrati- 
tude. Oh ! give my heart intense sorrow, and 
to my eyes a fountain of tears. 



POINT III. 

Reflections which necessarily follow the 
Consideration of these Truths. 

Collect all the powers of your soul and engrave 
on your mind the following points: 

ist. If only one sin is such an abomination in 
the sight of God, what an abomination in His 
eyes must the sins of my soul be ? If I have com- 
mitted only one sin, I am necessarily loathed by 



On the Sin of our First Parents. 53 

Almighty God in such a manner as he loathes 
one rebel angel. If I have committed a hundred 
sins, He must necessarily hate me alone, as much 
as He hates a hundred rebel angels. 

2d. If but one sin deserves the punishment of 
hell, should I not praise the mercy of God ? If 
I have committed but one sin, I have deserved 
hell as much as the rebel angels; if I have com- 
mitted more than one sin, then I deserved hell 
more than these reprobate spirits; and why do I 
not now share their torments ? That God who 
has visited them in His justice has extended to 
me His mercy ! O wonderful forbearance ! 

3d. If God has punished so rigorously but 
one sin of the Angels and of men, should I not 
fear His justice ? God has condemned to hell 
for all eternity so many millions of spirits for 
one sin, for one thought, for the fault of a mo- 
ment, without granting them one instant for re- 
pentance. Were I to sin once more, could He 
not punish me with the same inexorable se- 
verity ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

Compunction. — Heaven and earth are wit- 
nesses of the infinite hatred which Thou, O my 
God ! bearest against sin. Would that only one 
drop of this hatred were to flow into my heart ! 
No being deserves to be loved as much as Jesus; 
nothing deserves to be hated so much as sin; 
but I in my folly have hated Jesus and loved 
sin. O my God ! I acknowledge and bewail my 



54 The Truths of Salvation. 

wickedness. Would that I had become the food 
of worms ere I had sinned ! I have sinned; I 
have often and greatly sinned. O Jesus ! grant 
me Thy pardon. 

Thanksgiving. — My extreme malice recalls 
to my mind Thy immense mercy. Alas \ I re- 
member but too well the hour in which I com- 
mitted my first sin ! Hadst Thou, O my God, 
then treated me like the angels, I would now be 
suffering in hell ! I shudder at the bare recol- 
lection of this thought. Thy mercies, O Lord, 
are exceeding great ! Oh what thanks do I not 
owe Thee ! 

Supplication. — Have mercy on me, O Lord, 
according to Thy great mercy ! I now plainly 
see what an infinite evil sin is. I find it in the 
punishment of the damned spirits; I discern it 
in the misery and the misfortunes of mankind; 
I behold it in the torments and agony of Jesus, 
who dies on a cross. By that blood which Thou, 
O Jesus ! hast shed for my sins, grant me the 
grace to weep bitterly over my past sins, and 
henceforth to fly from sin as from death itself. 



On ActuaZ or Personal Sins. 5 5 

Ulebitation 2. 

On Actual or Personal Sins. 



POINT I. 



We may judge of the Infinite Malice of Sin 
from its Effects. 

What are its effects ? Consider them well and 
be astonished: 

1st. The instant that sin is committed the 
soul is changed from the most beautiful image 
of God into a most loathsome phantom. It is 
impossible to comprehend the loveliness of the 
soul when it is adorned with sanctifying grace: 
it is the reflection of the Divine Beauty itself. A 
saint to whom God once manifested the beauty 
of a soul, unsullied by sin, exclaimed: " I would 
give a thousand lives to save one such soul." 
But let the beauty of it be ever so enraptur- 
ing, it becomes equally deformed and hideous 
through sin. A sinful soul and a reprobate 
spirit are two phantoms which rival each other 
in deformity, and as no man could see the devil 
as he is, so also no man could behold a soul de- 
formed by sin without dying of fright. 

2d. The instant sin is committed, the soul be- 
comes for God the object of the greatest hatred. 
No intellect in heaven or on earth can fathom 
the hatred with which God detests sin, and what 



56 The Truths of Salvation. 

an infinite loathing He has for it. God hates 
sin, and must hate it; for as God is, necessarily, 
infinitely good, so He must necessarily, with an 
infinite hatred, hate sin, which is an infinite evil. 

3d. The instant sin is committed, the soul 
from a child of God becomes the slave of the 
devil. It is a sad misfortune to be possessed by 
the devil, and to carry in one's body day and 
night this eternally cursed denizen of hell; what 
must it then be, when the soul hands itself over 
by its perverse will to the devil to be his slave ? 
One whose body is possessed by him may still 
remain a child of God, and can hope to enjoy 
Him eternally in heaven; but one whose soul is 
possessed by the devil is an enemy of God, and 
is every moment in danger of being dragged by 
his master to the eternal prison. 

4th. The moment the soul has been stained 
by sin it sinks into the most abject degradation. 
There is nothing more pernicious than sin and 
nothing more contemptible than a sinful soul. 
Only imagine if God should open the eyes of 
all who meet you, so that they might see your 
soul, with all the sins and crimes which you have 
committed during your whole life in thought, 
word, and deed ! O God ! what shame, what 
confusion would be yours ! Would you not 
rather hide yourself perpetually in darkness than 
encounter the gaze of any one ? Oh ! how much 
then should you be overwhelmed with confusion 
in God's presence ! For under His very eye you 
have committed your sins, and the same eye al- 



On Actual or Personal Sins. 57 

ways beholds the accumulated filth of your life 
according to that of Holy Writ: "All their ini- 
quities are in the sight of God " (Eccl. xvii. 17). 

AFFECTIONS. 

Confusion. — How numerous are myosins, O 
my God ! There is not a power of my soul, not 
a sense of my body, which I have not employed 
in offending and outraging Thee ! Wretched 
memory! how many evil remembrances hast thou 
cherished ! O cursed understanding ! how many 
bad thoughts hast thou entertained ! O de- 
praved will ! how many disorderly affections hast 
thou fostered ! O sinful tongue ! how many un- 
charitable and profane words hast thou uttered ! 
If then, O my God ! one sin alone causes Thy in- 
dignation and wrath, how must my soul appear in 
thy sight, covered, as it is, with so many crimes ? 
Whither shall I go to hide my shame ? O sin ! 
how enticing thou art when thou bringest us to 
thy embrace ! but oh how revolting, how loath- 
some, when we see thee as thou art ! In truth, 
were I known as God knows me, there is not 
one on earth who would not turn in horror 
from me. 

A Prayer to Implore Grace. — Ashamed of 
my folly, I stand before Thee, O my God ! in 
dread and confusion. But to whom, O my God ! 
shall I turn save to Thee, who art Goodness it- 
self and infinite Mercy ? Pierce my heart with 
bitter compunction, and cleanse thereby the filth 
of my soul; without the help of a special grace 



58 The Truths of Salvation. 

I cannot feel this hearty sorrow; do not refuse 
me it, O Lord ! that heaven and earth may have 
a further reason to praise Thy mercy. 



POINT II. 

We also learn the Infinite Malice of Sin 
from the Abject State of one who of- 
fends God. 

Consider well what you are. 

i st. There is no good in yourself. What are 
you in very truth ? A handful of clay. Some 
years ago you were a mere nothing, and in a 
very short time you will be eaten up by worms, 
and will again return to dust. You are a crea- 
ture, so contemptible that no created intellect 
can comprehend your vileness ; neither the 
Blessed Virgin's nor the holy angels' can penetrate 
the abyss of your nothingness. God alone fath- 
oms it. And yet, handful of dust and worm of 
the earth as you are., you have raised your hands 
against God; you dared despise Him and say: 
"Who is the Lord, that I should hear His 
voice ?" (Exod. v. 2.) I know no master and ac- 
knowledge none. 

2d. You are one to whom God has been infi- 
nitely liberal. God has conferred on you innu- 
merable benefits; not a single instant of your 
life has passed without His bestowing on you 
another blessing; every moment of eternity, if 
you will it so, God will lavish on you still fur- 



On Actual or Personal Sins. 59 

ther favors. He has done and will do all this 
with an eternal love, for He has not loved Him- 
self more than you. 

He has cherished you with a gratuitous love, 
for He does not stand in need of you or of your 
works; with a generous love, for He could have 
showered these graces upon others who would 
have served Him more faithfully. And yet you 
were so bold as often to offend Him, your God 
and your greatest benefactor ! What a shameful 
act it would be for a son to so far forget himself 
as to outrage his father by maltreating him ? 
Are you not equally ungrateful, O contemptible 
being, to the best of fathers — to your Heavenly 
Father ? 

Whatever there is in you, you owe it to your 
Creator; He gave it to you and He must pre- 
serve it for you. What shocking ingratitude on 
your part, is it not, to abuse the very gifts of 
God, and to turn them against Himself? What 
would you think of the dumb man, had he blas- 
phemed our Lord on the cross with the very 
tongue which was miraculously loosened by His 
Omnipotence ? Think thus of yourself. For 
who has given you all the senses of your body, 
and all the faculties of your soul, and yet have 
you not used them all to offend the Being who 
gave you them ? 

3d. You are one whom God has rescued from 
the frightful dungeon of hell. Had you com- 
mitted but one sin, you would have deserved 
hell, and you owe to the mercy of God that you 



6o The Truths of Salvation. 

have not been plunged into its flames. Thus 
faith teaches. How immensely this increases 
your guilt ! Were God to free a reprobate from 
hell and to grant him time for penance, and yet, 
notwithstanding this infinite benefit, this spirit 
would blaspheme again, do you not believe that 
he would deserve hell more than once? God 
has saved you from damnation ten, twenty, 
thirty times — ay, oftener ; and after so much 
mercy what have you done in return ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

Self-abasement. — O Dearest Lord! I cast 
myself in spirit into the abyss of Hell; for what 
other place could I find that suits me better? I, 
a lump of clay, dared rise in rebellion against 
the Sovereign Being from whom I have received 
all that I am and all that I have. And still He 
spares me. O wretched and condemned Angels! 
you are not more unfortunate than I, because 
you have sinned more; but you are unhappier 
than I, because God was less merciful to you 
than to me. So much time has been given to me, 
while none has been granted to you. You have 
committed but one sin, and I a number of sins; 
you had only one grace, and I so many thousands; 
God rejected you after one sin, and He wished 
to pardon me after so many offences. Should 
not a fountain of tears flow from my eyes, to be- 
wail my sins all the days of my life? 

Compunction. — O Sovereign Lord, who triest 
the hearts and the reins, I hate and abhor, with 



On Actual or Personal Sins. 61 

all my soul, the sins that I have committed up to 
this moment. Would that all the sorrow and 
compunction which holy penitents ever felt, were 
in my heart that I might the better deplore them! 
Instead of my sorrow I offer to Thee the bitter- 
ness and the anguish which Jesus felt, and the 
bloody sweat which He endured for my trans- 
gressions. 

POINT III. 

The Supreme Majesty of God who is offended 
plainly shows what an infinite evil sln is. 

The greater the dignity of the person who 
is offended, the more grievous is the offence. 
Weigh now the enormity of sin. What is God? 

ist. God is an infinite Good. He is a Being 
who contains in Himself all perfections. He is 
infinite Goodness, infinite Power, infinite Sanc- 
tity, infinite Beauty, infinite Mercy and infinite 
Liberality. He is the Supreme Good in Himself, 
and the source of all good in created things; 
there is no power, no goodness, no sanctity, no 
beauty, no mercy, no liberality, neither in Heaven 
nor on Earth, which does not flow from God as 
from its only fountain. Knowingly and willingly 
to offend, despise, and outrage such a Supreme 
Good, what malice must not this be? 

2d. God is an infinite majesty. Lift up your 
eyes to Heaven. God is seated on His throne, 
many thousand millions of Angels and Saints 
surround it; enshrined in the splendor of His 



62 The Truths of Salvation. 

majesty, they praise and magnify Him with all 
their strength, and as they see that they cannot 
praise Him as much as His Greatness deserves, 
they cast down their crowns and confess that He 
is worthy of infinitely more honor and love than 
they can give. At the same time a vile worm 
of the earth rises up, attacks, insults, and out- 
rages His Supreme Majesty. How frightful is 
its malice! Oh, my soul! This is inconceivable 
and unutterable. Two ideas will give us a bet- 
ter understanding of it. ist. Imagine that all 
the Angels descend from Heaven and assume 
human bodies; that all men who ever lived from 
the beginning of the world up to this time, rise 
from their graves, and that all these live a thou- 
sand years and perform the most rigorous pen- 
ance, and at last, through love for God, in the 
most excruciating torments, shed every drop of 
their blood, could they by this repair the injury 
which one single sin inflicts on our God? No. 
It is impossible. 2nd. Were the Angels through- 
out eternity to use their intelligence in order to 
fathom the malice of sin, they could never fully 
comprehend this malice. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Self-accusation. — Enlightened by grace, O 
my God! I plainly see the depth of my malice. 
I have offended Thee. I, who am not an Angel, 
but a miserable creature, a clod of clay, a worm 
of the earth, I have offended Thee. And who 
art Thou? The Supreme Good, the source of 



On Actual or Personal Sins. 63 

every Good, the Sovereign Lord of Heaven and 
Earth. I have offended Thee! Where? Not in 
secret, not in Thy absence, but in the light of 
day, in Thy presence, in the midst of the splendor 
of Thy omniscient majesty. I have offended 
Thee ! with what ? with all the faculties of the 
soul and all the senses of the body, and even the 
very heart which Thou hast given me solely to 
love Thee. And why have I offended Thee? 
Not in hope of a kingdom, not through fear of 
a cruel death, but for a paltry gratification of 
my senses, or through dread of a little confusion. 
I have offended Thee ! How often ? Not once 
alone, but more than once — often. Alas! too 
often I have offended Thee ! When ? At the very 
time in which Thou hast preserved my body in 
good health, in which Thou hast inundated my 
soul with new lights of grace, lest my enemy and 
Thine might drag me on to my eternal ruin. 
How great is my effrontery, my ingratitude and 
folly. 

Compunction.— I have lived and offended 
Thee thus, and how have I repented? I have 
now and then made an act of contrition, struck 
my breast, and after this I have lived in security 
as if I were assured of Thy forgiveness. Should 
I be satisfied with this trifling and short-lived 
contrition ? Should not my heart be continually 
filled with sorrow and my eyes with tears? I 
have offended an infinite Good. This is enough 
for unceasing sorrow ! O God, worthy of all 
love, would that I never had offended Thee, I am 



64 The Truths of Salvation. 

fully resolved never more to offend Thee. Be- 
hold me now contrite at Thy feet ! I beseech 
Thee, by the blood of Jesus Christ, to have pity 
on me. I resolve, in Thy presence, rather to die 
than to sin again. Yes, O Jesus ! Thou art the 
Lord of life and death; if Thou forseest that I 
shall offend Thee mortally, take me out of this 
world before this misfortune befall me, Thy un- 
grateful servant. 



iitottatton 3. 

On the First Pain of Hell.— The 
Pain of Loss. 

POINT I. 

The damned in Hell lose God, their sovereign 
Good and their Supreme Happiness. 

As it is impossible to comprehend what an in- 
finite good it is to possess God, so it is impossi- 
ble to understand what an infinite evil it is to 
lose Him. Let us try, however, as far as in us 
lies, to form some idea thereof. Enter, therefore, 
into yourself, and consider what it is to lose God. 

1st. The damned are deprived of the Beatific 
Vision. As soon as the soul leaves the body, God 
infuses into it such a light as to comprehend the 
abyss of His Being, as far as a creature can; it 
conceives such a desire to possess God, that an 
instant of delay causes it excessive oain, and be- 



On the First Pain of Hell. 65 

cause it desires this possession most ardently, 
and cannot have this enjoyment, since it left the 
body in a state of mortal sin, there arises in it 
such bitterness and grief, that all the other tor- 
ments of Hell are not to be compared to this 
loss. 

2d. The providence of God takes no further 
care of the damned. As long as they lived on 
Earth, God provided for their wants; He put 
good thoughts into their minds, and enkindled 
holy desires in their hearts. But when He casts 
them off, all this care ceases. For this reason 
they shall, through eternity, never have a good 
thought, never feel a single good impulse, never 
have a single good desire, and never do a single 
good work. There will be in their imagination 
only horrible representations, in their under- 
standing only fearful thoughts, in their memory 
only saddening pictures of the past, and in their 
will only raging madness. 

3d. Since God cares for the damned no 
ionger, no created being has any regard for 
them. The Blessed Virgin, the Guardian An- 
gels and all the Saints loved them as long as 
they were here below, but when they are rejected 
by God, then they also reject them. This, how- 
ever, is not all. Of the immense multitude of 
reprobates there shall be none who will not in- 
crease in others their pain by their horrible ap- 
pearance, by their raging fury, by their fright- 
ful shrieks and groans. 

4th. The damned having lost God, and with 



66 The Truths of Salvation. 

God everything, fall into the power of the Devil. 
God lays aside all dominion over the damned 
and gives them over completely to the Devil. 
The Devil is a creature of extraordinary knowlr 
edge and power, of implacable hatred, fury and 
rage towards mankind. What have not the 
damned to fear from such a master? 

AFFECTIONS. 

Confession. — How dreadful are Thy judg- 
ments, O God ! What an infinite evil then is 
sin, and how bitter are its fruits ! To be eter- 
nally thrown off by Thee, to be eternally de- 
tested by Thy Elect, to be forever under the 
tyranny of Satan — such are the wages of sin! 
Have I until now believed this truth ? Alas! 
this it is that increases my guilt; I have always 
believed that one sin is enough to lose God for- 
ever, and, with God all happiness; and yet I have, 
sinned, and I have sinned without remorse, with- 
out fear, without terror. 

Resolution. — What shall I do henceforth? 
On w T hat do I resolve ? I must behold Thee, O 
Sovereign Lord, in Thy glory, cost whatever it 
may. I must see and love Thee in Heaven, O 
Mary, my dearest mother, and you O Elect ! 
should it cost me my life. To live and die with- 
out offending Thee, O God, by a single grievous 
sin is my resolve. 




On the First Pain of Hell. 67 



POINT II. 

The Damned have in God their Greatest 
Enemy. 

It is incontestible that they who lose God, 
their best friend, shall have him their greatest 
enemy. But how can God who is the Supreme 
Good and the only happiness of mortals, become 
their greatest evil? Duly weigh the effects of 
damnation and you will clearly understand this 
truth. 

1st. The damned have a clear perception of 
God's infinite Beauty. Had the soul in Hell no 
greater knowledge of God than it had on earth, 
it would be free from its greatest torment; but 
the copious light it has when rid of the body, of 
the unspeakable happiness it could have en- 
joyed in God, renders its sorrow inconceivable. 

2d. The damned have always before them 
the appearance of God in His wrath. " The Lord 
shall trouble them in His wrath." (Ps. xx. 10.) 
It is very difficult to understand how great this 
pain is. As the sight alone of the lovely coun- 
tenance of God, enraptures all the Blessed, so 
the appearance alone of God in his anger fills 
all the damned with terror and despair. 

3d. The damned shall live forever. The 
greatest desire of the damned is to die; for 
since they see that it is no longer possible to ap- 
pease the anger of God, they wish for death, the 
only means to escape their misery. But it is in 



68 The Truths of Salvation. 

vain; as long as God lives, so long shall the 
damned live; and as He shall preserve the Elect 
forever to inebriate them with torrents of bliss, 
so shall He preserve the damned forever to over- 
whelm them with ceaseless agonies. 

The unhappy reprobate shall curse their sins 
over and over; they shall shed enough tears to 
deluge the Earth; they shall burn for every mor- 
tal sin, millions and millions of years; and yet 
all these millions will not move God to pity; 
He continues to hate them and will hate them 
through a never ending Eternity. The damned, 
knowing this, always are in utter despair; they 
rave and yell in their fury and madness; their 
hatred for God becomes so intense that, as real 
devils they curse God, uttering against Him 
blasphemies without end, and loathing him so 
much, that, if they could, they would annihilate 
Him. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Fear. — O how delightful must it be to have 
before one's eyes a bountiful God, and how woe- 
ful to have a wrathful God ! How sweet it is 
to experience the liberality of God and how bit- 
ter to fall into the hands of an avenging (jod ! 
How consoling it will be to possess God eter- 
nally, and how heartrending to lose Him eter- 
nally ! What can secure me from the infinite 
evil of Hell ? Alas ! my soul, thou hast sinned 
and for thee there is no other means of salva- 
tion than a true penance and amendment. La- 
menting with all the powers of my soul, I turn 
then to Thee, O God ! 



On the First Pain of Hell. 69 

Compunction. — I hate, detest, execrate with 
my whole heart, all the sins I have committed 
up to this moment. I see and acknowledge what 
an evil I have done. Sin is the greatest injury 
to Thee, because it is an offence against Thy 
infinite goodness and mercy. Sin is also the 
greatest injury to myself, because it is the ruin 
of my immortal soul. I have sinned mortally; 
I have lost Thee, O God, my last end and my 
only happiness, and I can recover Thee only by 
Thy grace, and by my own penance. Had I a 
thousand lives, I would willingly give them up, 
could I only revoke my sins. Supply, O Jesus* 
what is wanting to me, and in place of my sor- 
row I offer the sorrow which Thou, on account 
of my sins, hast felt in the Garden. 

Resolution. — What shall I do henceforth ? I 
will sin no more, O Jesus ! I will rather choose 
death than sin, can I not avoid it in any other 
way. Imprint deeply, O Jesus, in my heart, 
this resolution, maintain it and grant that I may 
never swerve therefrom. 



THIRD DAY 

fttcbitation 4. 

On the Second Pain of Hell, 
the Pain of the Senses. 



POINT I. 



The Pains of the Senses in Hell are Ter- 
rible in their Nature. 

Represent to yourself Hell as a large prison 
in the centre of the Earth, and filled with a fire 
of sulphur and brimstone. Behold the damned 
lie in this prison, as close together as sheep in a 
pen (Ps. xlviii. 15). 

Consider, now, what fire this is in which the 
damned burn: 

1st. This fire is universal, burning the whole 
body and the whole soul. 

The damned are in a place assigned to them 
by Divine Justice. As the fish in the ocean are 
surrounded by water, they are environed and 
thoroughly penetrated by this fire. Their heads, 
their eyes, their ears, cheeks, mouth, and lips are 
all fire; in short, the whole body is only fire. 
And, what is more horrible, this fire is in the 
memory, in the understanding, and in the will 

Were you in a furnace, so that one of your 



On the Second Pain of Hell. Ji 

arms would be in the fire and the rest of the 
body out of it, what inconceivable pain would 
you not feel ? What must it then be to have, not 
only one arm, but all the senses and members of 
the body, as well as the faculties of the soul, en- 
compassed and permeated by fire ? 

2d. This fire is much more terrible than we 
can imagine. How violent soever we may sup- 
pose fire on Earth to be, it is only a shadow of 
the fire of Hell. For the Justice of God uses it 
as an instrument to wreak vengeance on those 
who have here laughed to scorn His Supreme 
Majesty. He has given this fire, as it were, in- 
finite power. The malice of sin is so great, that 
the fire of this Earth is not sufficient to punish it 
adequately. He imparts to the fire of Hell a 
power which no created intelligence can compre- 
hend. And yet you, who shrink from the suffer- 
ings of an imaginary furnace, refuse slight 
sacrifices, petty humiliations, slight sufferings — 
in short, everything repugnant to the senses, 
though willed for you by an infinitely wise God, 
that you may not fall into the furnace heated by 
His anger — the everlasting flames of Hell. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Fear. — I have known and believed all these 
truths, O my God ! But how have I lived ? I 
have sinned; I have deserved Hell, and for what ? 
Was it for a kingdom, or was I threatened with 
death ? No ! for a paltry gratification I have 
offended Thee. How blind, how foolish I was ! 



*J2 The Truths of Salvation, 

How cruel to myself ! But I trust, O merciful 
God, that the past is forgiven. What frightens 
me is the future. I may sin again and die in 
my sins, and be damned forever. The vicious in- 
clinations which ruined me are not yet uprooted; 
Divine Justice is not yet satisfied; my penance 
has been but trifling, and my weakness is evi- 
dent, but Thy mercy is infinite. 

A Prayer for Grace. — O my God ! in such 
frightful uncertainty of my salvation, I lift up 
my hands and eyes to Thee, and humbly crave 
Thy mercy. My God and my Saviour ! remem- 
ber the wounds which Thou didst receive forme, 
and trie blood which Thou didst shed for me. 
Remember the patience with which Thou hast 
tolerated my sinfulness so long, and the mercy 
with which Thou didst so tenderly invite me to 
repentance. Remember the benevolence with 
which Thou didst choose me for the religious 
state, in preference to many millions, and the love 
with which, notwithstanding the abuse of so 
many graces, Thou dost still spur me on to per- 
fection. Shall, then, all this be lost on me ? Yes, 
O my Saviour ! it will be, unless Thou hast mercy 
on me, a wretched sinner. 



POINT II. 

The Pains of the Senses in Hell are Ter- 
rible in their Duration. 
The damned lose God forever and burn in 
Hell forever. But what is Eternity? No an- 






On the Second Pain of HelL 73 



gelic intellect can comprehend it, and how can 
you ? Yet, in order that you may form some 
idea of it, consider the following truths: 

1st. The pains of Hell are without end. This 
is the frightful truth which made the greatest 
Saints tremble. After the last day and the last 
judgment the damned shall plunge into Hell and 
" the gate shall be shut," never, no, never more, 
to be opened. Then shall pass away as many 
thousand years as there are leaves on trees, as 
many thousand years as there are drops of 
water in all the seas and oceans, as many thou- 
sand years as there are grains of sand on the 
Earth, and as many thousand years as there are 
atoms in the air. And, after the lapse of this 
tremendous number of years, there is Eternity 
yet ! The one-half of it shall not have gone by, 
nor the hundredth part, nor the thousandth part, 
nor even a single part, compared with what shall 
remain. Again it begins, and shall last yet a 
hundred times — nay, a million times longer ! Af- 
ter this almost infinite number of years, the half 
of Eternity is not yet gone by, not the hundredth 
part, not the millionth part — naught worth while 
shall as yet have passed away. And still, up to 
this supposed time, the damned shall have 
burned and shall burn over and over as many 
Eternities as there are still in infinity. They 
"shall be tormented for ever and ever" (Apoc. 
xx. 10). O mystery of all mysteries ! O terror 
above all terrors ! O Eternity ! Who can under- 
stand thee ? 



74 Tlie Truths of Salvation. 

Let us suppose Cain in Hell, shedding every 
thousand years only one tear. Cain would have 
now shed but five tears. What number of years 
must still elapse till Cain's thousandth-year tear 
will equal the drops of water in the deluge, which 
rose, as Scripture says, nearly twenty-seven feet 
above the highest mountains of the Earth ? And 
yet, O incomprehensible truth ! a time will come 
when his tears will deluge the whole world! And, 
after this, let us suppose God to dry up the 
waters, and Cain to begin again to weep. He 
would then weep another deluge — he would weep 
a hundred deluges — a thousand deluges; yet after 
all this the Eternity of the damned will have but 
begun to exist. It shall last as long as God will 
be God. 

2d. The pains of Hell are without interrup- 
tion and without alleviation. The damned are 
never to have any comfort, but always to suffer, 
to be hated forever by God and by His Elect, 
and to be cursed by Heaven and Hell forever 
and ever. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Thanksgiving. — O my God ! I have a faint 
idea of what Eternity is; I now see what Hell is. 
It is a place of the most excruciating pains; a 
place of the utmost despair; a place w T hich I 
have deserved by my sins, and in which I would 
now be, had not the infinite mercy of God spared 
me — had not the ever-pitying heart of Jesus loved 
me. 



Fruits of these Meditations. 75 

Compunction. — What has been my gratitude 
to God for such infinite goodness ? I should 
have given Him my whole heart, loved Him with 
my whole soul — I should have worked for Him 
with all my strength and sought to please Him 
alone. I should have joyfully undergone all 
trials to prove to Him my love. But I have 
made little of Him, I have insulted Him, I have 
despised Him. My God, my God, I am an un- 
grateful wretch ! I acknowledge and detest my 
ingratitude. O Jesus, take pity on me ! I am 
more than ever resolved to die rather than to 
offend Thee once more. 



limitation 5. 

What Fruits shall now be 
Gathered from the preced- 
ing Meditations? 

Up to this time we have considered the evil 
of losing one's end by sin; but what good will 
this knowledge do us, if we reap no benefit from 
it? 

The First Fruit is to conceive a thorough 

SORROW FOR OUR SlNS. 

What is the state of your conscience ? Sup- 
pose an Angel to come from Heaven and to say 
to you: Settle all earthly concerns; in an hour 
you shall stand before your judge. Would you 
like to die in the state in which you now are? 
Have all your confessions been such as now to 



76 The Truths of Salvation. 

give you an assurance of the forgiveness of your 
sins ? If not, see to it at once, and prepare to 
appear "before the judgment-seat of Christ." 
(2 Cor. v. 10.) For this purpose two resolutions 
are required: 

1st. To make, during this retreat, after a rea- 
sonably strict examination of your conscience, 
and with due consideration of the motives of 
contrition, a confession so exact that your con- 
science may give you testimony of having done 
all that God requires of you to obtain pardon of 
your sins. 

2d. Henceforth always to confess your sins in 
the same way; as if each confession were to be 
your last. 

The Second Fruit is to Satisfy the Divine 
Justice as much as possible for past Sins. 

Take another glance at Hell and imagine you 
hear God saying to one of the damned: I will 
show mercy to you on this condition: You must 
return to the world and silently suffer through 
love for Me, all the crosses and trials which I 
may send vou, and then vou will afterwards come 
unto Me in my Heavenly mansions. O blessed 
be forever Thy infinite Goodness, this reprobate 
would say, I joyfully undergo all that man has 
ever suffered, if Thou allow me to behold Thee 
in Thy glory. You who go through this medi- 
tation, have you not deserved Hell, and is not the 
time which God gave you in granting space for 
penance, a grace as great as if He had drawn 



Fruits of these Meditations. Jj 

you out of Hell? Why not, then, earnestly en- 
deavor to do penance by patiently undergoing 
every adversity, in order to repair the injuries 
which you have done to God by your sins ? 
Take, therefore, these resolutions: 

ist. To use with all possible care and fervor 
the means which God ordains for the satisfaction 
of sin, which are: Frequent confession and com- 
munion; saying or hearing Mass; gaining of In- 
dulgences; acts of perfect contrition and works 
of mortification. 

2d. To bear patiently and cheerfully the trials 
and tribulations of your state of life; to discharge 
faithfully and exactly all its duties, remembering 
that what you now suffer is but trifling in com- 
parison with the eternal pains of Hell. 

The Third Fruit is to avoid all Venial Sins, 
especially those which lead to mortal sln. 

It suffices not to choose death in preference to 
mortal sin; we must also avoid venial sin. The 
person who is not at present thus disposed can 
have no sure hope of salvation. But to avoid 
venial sin we must as St. John Climacus says, 
" daily add, fire to fire, fervor to fervor, zeal to 
zeal." 

To preserve ourselves in fervor, we must try to 
shun the following sins: 

ist. Harboring suspicions, rash judgment, and 
contempt of others. 

2d. Nourishing anger and indignation. 

3d. Introducing into conversations the imper- 



78 The Truths of Salvation. 

fections of others, and thus disturbing or per- 
haps destroying union and fraternal charity. 

4th. Omitting through negligence the spiritual 
exercises, or performing them with voluntary 
distractions. 

5th. Fostering in our hearts an inordinate af- 
fection for any one; giving knowingly and will- 
ingly occasion to impure thoughts, or being re- 
miss in banishing them. 

6th. Taking delight in one's self and one's 
actions. 

7th. Receiving the sacraments through mere 
routine and without preparation. 

8th. Suffering adversities and trials impa- 
tiently, not regarding them as coming from the 
beneficent hand of God. 

9th. Purposely being gloomy and sullen, and 
not manifesting one's bad inclinations, weakness, 
and faults to those who should know them. 

These are the sins of those who have not the 
spirit of religious life. If you do not resolve to 
shun those sins, you will not gather the least 
fruit from the exercises; nor will you ever arrive 
even at the lowest degree of perfection — you will 
never be in such a state as to expect death with- 
out fear. A traveller retraces his steps when he 
discovers that he has wandered from the right 
road. Let us then make up our minds to take 
the necessary steps to perfection, and express our 
resolve, with the crucifix in our hands, in the fol- 
lowing manner: 

O Jesus my Crucified Lord ! I see what it is 



Fruits of these Meditations. 79 

to possess Thee forever. I understand what it 
is to lose Thee forever. O happy me if I find 
Thee ! unhappy me if I lose Thee ! I see that I 
never can securely hope for the former, and must 
always fear the latter, as long as I do not give 
myself up to Thee, without reserve and without 
delay. 

I seek Thee, O my God, I sigh after Thee and 
wish to possess Thee. Thou art my end, my only 
happiness, and sole object of all my desires. O 
Jesus, by Thy precious blood, I humbly entreat 
Thee to strengthen my weakness, and to grant 
me the grace to carry out this my good purpose 
as long as life remains. 



SECOND WEEK. 

The Illuminative Way. 

The second week of the exercises comprises 
five meditations. During the first week we have 
mourned over our sins, and resolved to love God 
with our whole heart and to seek this our end 
with all our strength; but as we are blind and do 
not see the way that securely leads thereto, our 
Heavenly Father has given us His only begotten 
Son as a leader whom we have to follow, and as 
a model which we have to imitate. 



flkbitation 1. 

On the Reign of Christ. 



POINT I. # 

It is Just to Follow Christ. 

There are two points which clearly demon- 
strate how just it is. Consider them attentively. 

ist. Our first parents fell away from God and 
deprived themselves and us of the right to 
Heaven. Of the many millions of men who 
have ever been and who shall ever be on earth, 
not one would have entered Heaven. What a 
misfortune that would be for mankind ! Not 



On the Reign of Christ. 8 1 

one of them would have ever glorified God. 
What a loss for the glory of God ! But Christ 
came, the gates of Heaven were again opened 
for all; and in consequence myriads of saints 
shall glorify His name forever. What can there 
be more just than that we follow our Lord and 
strive to gain so noble an end — the eternal glory 
of God and the everlasting happiness of man ? 

2d. The conditions on which Christ invites us 
are light. When earthly potentates have to per- 
form a hard work, to face a danger, or to over- 
come a difficulty, they do not go personally, but 
send their subjects. But Christ acts otherwise. 
I do not wish, says He, those who follow me to 
have worse clothing or dwelling, worse food or 
drink, than I. I do not wish them to labor more 
than I. I do not wish them to suffer more than 
I. I do not wish them to go first, I will walk 
before them and show the way — all I require of 
them is to follow me. O what easy conditions 
these are ! Jesus is innocent, and I am full of 
iniquities; Jesus is the Supreme Lord, and I a 
mere creature; Heaven belongs to Jesus, Hell to 
me, and yet Jesus does not wish me to labor or 
suffer more than He; He only wishes me to walk 
in His footsteps. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Thanksgiving. — If, in inviting me to follow 
Thee, O Jesus, Thou hadst no other end than the 
honor and glory of Thy Heavenly Father, it 
would be a sufficient reason, to hearken to Thy 



82 The Truths of Salvation, 

invitation. For I, Thy creature, would be bound 
to spend my whole life in Thy service. But no; 
Thy desire is not only the honor and glory of 
Thy Heavenly Father, but also my eternal salva- 
tion and happiness. Thou invitest me to follow 
Thee in order that I may share with Thee in 
Heaven the same glory and the same happiness. 
O what gratitude do not I then owe Thee ! 

Resolution. — O Jesus ! to follow Thee is the 
work on which depends, not only the honor and 
glory of Thy Heavenly Father, but also my own 
salvation. I will follow Thee as closely as pos- 
sible, in spite of nature, and with complete self- 
denial. I am a creature who has committed a 
multitude of sins, and therefore deserve Hell; 
how can I refuse then to do or to suffer what 
Thou, Innocence and Sanctity itself, my God and 
my Redeemer, hast done and suffered ? 



POINT II. 
It is Easy to Follow Christ. 

ist. On account of the peace of soul we ex- 
perience, and the delight we feel in serving God. 

Christ was not always in afflictions. He had 
joys also. In His nativity men banished Him to 
a bleak stable, but Angels descended from Heav- 
en to proclaim His glory. In the desert the 
Devil tempted Him, but Angels came and min- 
istered unto Him. In His public life, whilst He 
gave forth the words of life, He was calumniated 






On the Reign of Christ. 83 

and persecuted; but on Mount Thabor He was 
transfigured and appeared in His glory; not to 
speak of the inexplicable delights which, by rea- 
son of the hypostatic union, His soul felt. 

Since the life of our Lord was not a continual 
cross, yours will not be such, because He says 
expressly: I do not wish you to suffer more 
than I suffered. Assuredly, the more perfectly 
you follow Christ, the greater will be your con- 
solations, interior joy, and happiness. Hear His 
own words: " My yoke is sweet and my burden 
is light." To be near Jesus is always sweet, even 
in the midst of adversities; to be far from Jesus 
is always bitter, even in the midst of joys. If 
any consolation is given here below, the one who 
faithfully follows Christ shall certainly have this 
consolation. " What can the world profit thee 
without Jesus ? To be without Jesus is a griev- 
ous Hell, and to be with Jesus a sweet Paradise" 
(The Following of Christ, ii. 8, 2). 

2d. On account of the immense glory and 
boundless treasures of rewards which He stores 
up for them in the next life. After some years 
you shall be in Heaven; how full of comfort this 
thought is— how full of sweetness in all trials ! 
Imagine you see your Divine Redeemer carrying 
a heavy cross, earnestly looking at you at the 
same time, whilst you behold in Heaven the 
royal throne prepared for you above many mil- 
lions of the Elect, and you hear Him addressing 
you thus: Lo ! this throne is yours; you shall 
possess it forever if you follow Me closely for a 



84 The Truths of Salvation. 

short time. Would you not then follow Him 
with great joy ? Would not these words console 
you in all your labors and afflictions ? Why can- 
not faith do as much as this sight does ? Faith 
teaches you that, if you follow Christ, a Heaven- 
ly crown awaits you, which shall be yours for- 
ever. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Hope and Confidence. — I believe, O Jesus ! 
that Thy yoke is sweet and Thy burden light. 
For these are Thy words; Thou hast spoken 
them, who hast never deceived and never shall 
deceive. My self-love and my cowardice alone 
make the following of Thee difficult; could I 
but overcome myself courageously and walk in 
Thy footsteps for a few years, I would soon ex- 
perience how true these Thy words are. Ac- 
cording to the world's notions, what a miserable 
life these tender virgins seem to lead who with- 
draw into convents ! Nevertheless, they find no 
sweetness but in God's service. How wretched, 
In the estimation of the same world, are they who 
are persecuted, oppressed, calumniated, and de- 
spised ? And yet they receive from our Lord 
the most wonderful communication of grace. 
£hall I, then, be the only one to whom He will 
never give any Heavenly comfort ? Shall I be 
the only one whom He will never allow to taste 
His consolation ? No ! Jesus, I hope and con- 
fide in Thy mercy, that Thou wilt grant me the 
grace which shall make the following of Thee 
easy. 



On the Reign of Christ. 85 

POINT III. 

It is necessary to Follow Christ. 

I suppose you desire to tend to perfection. 
For this it is absolutely necessary that you fol- 
low Christ in everything as closely as possible. 
" If thou wilt be perfect/' said our Saviour, 
"come, follow me." Do you understand this 
truth ? Alas ! the knowledge is not wanting; 
the road on which Christ walked is too rough. 
It terrifies you; but this is the very thing that is 
required. 

1st. Christ is Infinite Wisdom and Truth. He 
has come into this world to show the road to 
sanctity. Were there a more certain and a bet- 
ter way to it than the one which He marked out, 
He would not have been Infinite Wisdom, be- 
cause He ignored this way; nor Infinite Truth, 
because He would have deceived us. But it would 
be blasphemy to assert either. 

2d. God is Infinite Love and Goodness. 

God loves man, and, without a good reason, He 
cannot inflict sufferings and torments. Hence it 
follows that could an agreeable path equally 
conduct us to sanctity as a rough, narrow, and 
painful one, His love for us would not have se- 
lected the more difficult one. He, in His pre- 
vision of the future, saw that a path agreeable 
to the senses and pleasing to nature would lead 
us to our eternal perdition; for this reason He 



86 The Truths of Salvation. 

assigned us the rougher path, walked in it Him- 
self, and invited us to follow Him. 

Pause here and say to yourself: In this world 
I must choose between the two places of the 
next; one, Hell, is infinitely miserable, the other, 
Heaven, infinitely blissful. To these two places 
only two roads lead — a broad one, on which 
numberless human beings walk, conducts to 
Hell; a rough and narrow road, on which Christ, 
with a small number of His Elect, walks, leads to 
Heaven. On which of the two have I hitherto 
gone, and which shall I choose for the future ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

Compunction. — The retrospective view of my 
past life shows that, although I have acknowl- 
edged Thee, O Jesus ! as my God and my Re- 
deemer, I have not followed Thee as my Leader. 
These virtues, which Thou calledst a sweet yoke 
and a light burden, I deemed too heavy a load 
for my weakness. I detracted from Thy Wis- 
dom, as if Thou knewest not what I could bear; 
and I disparaged Thy Goodness, as if Thou didst 
impose too much on me. O my God and my 
Redeemer ! my Master and Leader ! I recognize 
my mistake, I see my wickedness, and I detest it 
with all my heart. Oh ! how happy would I be 
at this moment had I always walked on the road 
on which Thou didst walk ! 

An Act of Self-Offering. — But how long shall 
this last ? Thou art the Way, the Truth, and 
the Life. I give myself up to Thee, O my 




On the Reign of Christ. 87 

blessed Saviour ! with my whole heart, and with- 
out reserve. I shall tread in Thy footsteps. Go, 
therefore, before me and lead me. Lead me 
through contempt and humiliations, through 
calumnies and persecutions, and I will still fol- 
low Thee. Lead me through pains and afflic- 
tions, and I will not cease to follow Thee. Lead 
me through self-denial and self-annihilation, and 
I will continue to follow Thee. Where Thou art, 
O Jesus ! my life, I will also be. What Thou 
dost I will also do; what Thou didst suffer I will 
also suffer. Only give me Thy grace, and I ask 
no more 



FOURTH DAY. 

iUcMtation 2. 

On the Wonderful Humility 
which Christ exhibited in His 
Incarnation and His Birth. 



point I. 

Christ in His Incarnation and Birth utterly 
debased Himself. 

How many astonishing acts of self-abasement 
appear therein ? 

ist. He took upon Himself human nature. 
Were your faith enlightened you could not suf- 
ficiently admire this self-abasement. A compar- 
ison may help to illustrate it. There was once 
a king having absolute power, immense riches, 
and exceedingly great wisdom and all princely 
virtues; the nobility, the army, the people loved 
him as a father; nothing was wanting to com- 
plete his happiness. This great monarch se- 
cretly doffed his royal garments, donned a beg- 
gar's clothes, left the country, became a servant 
to a farmer in a foreign land, and remained un- 
known in this humble service till death. This 
was indeed an inconceivable abasement ! 



Christ's Wonderful Humility. 89 

Let us look with the eyes of faith on the lovely 
Infant in the crib at Bethlehem. Who is He ? 
The Lord of the world, the Creator of Heaven 
and Earth; to whom the whole universe, with 
all its riches and treasures, belongs. Notwith- 
standing His infinite excellence and happiness 
He quitted Heaven, where he was adored by all 
the Angels; He took up His abode on Earth; He 
became a man of sorrows and infirmities and re- 
mained in this state till death. Can any human 
understanding conceive self-abasement like unto 
this? 

2d. He took upon Himself human nature as 
an Infant. Is there anything more helpless 
than an infant ? It can neither stand nor walk, 
but it must always be assisted and carried by 
another. It cannot speak, and can only mani- 
fest its needs by crying. We, when infants, 
could well undergo this, because we had no 
consciousness, but Christ, who was Infinite Wis- 
dom, felt the entire helplessness of this condi- 
tion. He could have come into this world in 
the bloom of manhood, but he willed it not; He 
came as a little child, that He might humble 
Himself the more and teach us humility the 
better. 

Imagine you see the Divine Infant lying in 
the manger. Infant though He is, He is never- 
theless God who created Heaven and Earth. He 
is the Word of God and He cannot speak a 
word. He is God, infinitely rich, before whom 
all earthly sovereigns are mere beggars; and 



90 The Truths of Salvation. 

he has no other dwelling than a wretched 
stable. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Confusion. — O most humble Jesus, how dif- 
ferent are the desires of my heart from Thine ! 
Thou debasest Thyself, and I exalt myself, with 
Lucifer, to the highest Heaven. Thou bringest 
Thyself down to the feeble state of an infant, 
and I always desire a position more and more 
honorable in the sight of men. Thou hidest 
Thyself and all the excellences which thou pos- 
sessest, that no praise may be given Thee; and 
I desire the good which is in me to be seen that 
I may be praised the more — in short, all Thy 
thoughts are for lowliness and self-abasement, 
and mine for self-exaltation and worldly honor. 
Alas ! I acknowledge it. O Jesus, I have not yet 
Thy spirit, and my views are as distant from 
Thine as Earth is from Heaven. 

Compunction. — I see and confess, O Jesus, 
that I have erred; this is not the path in which 
Thou didst walk. I am sorry for all my vain 
thoughts and desires, for all the boastful words 
which I have ever spoken, for all the vain-glori- 
ous deeds which I have ever performed. To 
me therefore confusion and contempt are justly 
due; but to Thee praise, honor, and glory. 

Following of Christ, iii. B., Chaps, xli, xlii. 



Christ's Wonderful Humility. 91 



POINT II. 

Christ, from His Birth and all through Life, 
willingly submitted to all the humilia- 
tions which came upon hlm from others. 

1st. How did the world receive Him in His 
birth ? What greater affront could be offered to 
a man than to be so far rejected that not one of 
his kindred would give him shelter for one 
night? This happened to Christ in the town of 
Bethlehem. Young and old, rich and poor, 
found in it a lodging. Jesus alone, with His 
blessed Mother, was everywhere refused admit- 
tance. He first beholds the light in a stable. 
How did He submit to it ? With joy. He Him- 
self willed it, for if He had willed the contrary, 
He would have sent before Him hosts of Angels 
to announce His coming; He might on entering 
the town have made the Earth tremble; He 
might have sent thunder and lightning to ter- 
rify its inhabitants and make them adore His 
Majesty. 

2d. How has the world treated Him after His 
birth? It treated Him worse than at His birth. 
A new star had appeared in the heavens; the 
wise men had come from the East and an- 
nounced His birth. One would think that all 
Jerusalem would run flocking out of their 
houses to adore the Infant Jesus. O fearful in- 
gratitude ! Out of so many hundred thousands 



g2 The Truths of Salvation. 

not one was found to take a step to see Jesus. 
Even their king sought to kill Him; the time 
was chosen and the Child Jesus had to flee from 
His own country to escape death. 

3d. What did the world think of Christ after 
He had grown up ? It thought no more of Him 
than it did at His birth. He lived with His 
parents at Nazareth, His occupation was to work 
at home with His Foster-Father and to earn 
His daily bread in the sweat of His brow. Xo 
one imagined that Joseph's son was a Man-God; 
the Heavenly Father kept the secret and gave 
no sign that Jesus of Xazareth was His beloved 
Son. Mary and Joseph revealed it not and 
Jesus Himself hid from the eyes of men all the 
treasures of His human and divine nature. 
The God-Man, who had created Heaven and 
Earth, passed in the eyes of the world as a car- 
penter's son. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Contempt of One's Self.— How little didst 
Thou, O Saviour, think of honor and esteem, and 
how precious in Thy sight was contempt! What 
a lesson is this for me ! Thou fleest honor, and 
I flee contempt; Thou seekest to be unknown, 
and I seek to be known and even admired; Thou 
didst take pleasure in being despised, and I in 
being praised and esteemed. If Thy spirit is 
the road to sanctity, mine is the way to perdi- 
tion. If Thy humility is the road to Heaven, 
my pride is the way to Hell. 



Christ's Wonderful Humility. 93 

Acknowledgment — True, I am far more es- 
teemed than Thou wast, and yet I am not satis- 
fied; I am honored and treated with reverence 
for being a religious; but when wast Thou hon- 
ored ? The will of my Heavenly Father, my 
progress in virtue, the sanctity of my soul, must 
yield to this my pride. This is a wound which 
only Thou, O God, canst heal. 



POINT III. 

Considerations on the Humility of Jesus 
Christ. 

You have now before you one of the principal 
points of the spiritual life; ask Divine light and 
help to reflect on it attentively. 

1st. Nothing is more agreeable to God than a 
soul that has a love for contempt and self-anni- 
hilation. Let us suppose we had lived before 
the coming of Christ, and that our Heavenly 
Father had asked us in what manner He should 
send His Son into the world, what would we 
have answered ? We would, no doubt, have said, 
His foster-father must be a monarch, His mother 
a queen, His dwelling a magnificent palace; 
angels must announce His coming, the people 
must assemble and adore the new-born God. 
Thus we would have thought and said. Yet 
God the Father willed the parents of His be- 
loved Son to be poor, the place of His birth to 
be a stable, His dwelling a poor home at Naza- 



94 The Truths of Salvation. 

reth, His life to be hidden, and His death to be 
that of a malefactor, in the midst of insults and 
torments. How blind we are ! We love, above 
all, the esteem and applause of the world; Jesus 
loves nothing so much as contempt and self- 
annihilation. What else do you see in Him but 
humiliations and torture ? And yet this was the 
sacrifice that pleased His Heavenly Father and 
procured the salvation of mankind. 

2d. God hates nothing so much in a soul as 
the love of honor and esteem. The less con- 
formity a soul has with Jesus Christ the less it 
is esteemed by God the Father. But what con- 
formity with Jesus Christ can a soul have that 
loves the praise and esteem of men ? Jesus re- 
joiced only in injuries; the life of Jesus com- 
menced and ended with outrages. Compare 
yourself with Jesus; and see what there is in you 
like unto Him. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Confession and Sorrow. — In Thy heart, O 
Jesus, is extreme horror of all vainglory, and 
the most ardent desire of contempt and of 
affronts, and in my heart just the contrary — the 
greatest horror of contempt and of affronts, and 
the greatest satisfaction in vainglory. What in- 
creases my misery is, that I refuse the medicine, 
and when I am compelled to take it, it proves 
hurtful to me. The surest and best means to 
root out pride would be confusion, contempt 
and calumny; but I, unhappy mortal, love my 



Christ's Wonderful Humility. 95 

misfortune; I cherish my pride and reject hu- 
miliation. Through Thy mercy I have to-day 
received the grace to see and to hate my misery. 
What have I to glory in, or why do I desire to 
be esteemed ? Truly vainglory is an evil plague, 
a very great vanity, because it draws us away 
from true glory and robs us of heavenly grace; 
for whilst a man takes complacency in himself, 
he displeases Thee; whilst he seeks after the 
praises of men, he is deprived of true virtues. 
(The Following of Christ, iii. B., Chap, xl., 4.) 

Resolutions and Supplication. — To-day I 
ask of Thee, O Jesus, the virtue of humility. 
It is the indication of Thy spirit, the distinguish- 
ing mark of Thy true followers, and the way to 
intimate union with Thee. A proud soul can 
never enter into familiar friendship with Thee, 
because it is an abomination before Thee. 
Should I not take all pains to acquire the virtue 
of humility ? 

I firmly purpose then, O Jesus, first, never 
willingly to acquiesce in any vain thought, or in 
any self-complacency, not to speak a word in my 
own praise, and never through vanity to do any 
work. Second, joyfully to accept all contempt 
from whatever source it may come, and bear it 
silently. O Jesus, how easy it is to make these 
resolutions, but how difficult to carry them out ! 
Thou, O Jesus, art my hope and my strength ! 



g6 The Truths of Salvation. 



JElebttafton 3. 

On the Wonderful Obedience 
of Christ in His Hidden Life. 



POINT I. 

Jesus Underwent, for the Love of His Hea- 
venly Father and for Me, all the Hard- 
ships which Perfect Obedience invariably 
brings on. 

To give up one's own will, and to live until 
death according to the will of another, has many 
difficulties. 

The first difficulty of obedience is that of the 
employments of our state of life. We often 
think the office with which the Superior charges 
us is too low for us. We believe that those who 
are preferred to us have less talent, and that we 
are endowed with all the capacity requisite for 
their office; and, in short, for any office. Your 
office is too low? Let us cast our eyes on Jesus. 
Who is He ? The King of kings, the Lord of 
lords, the Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth. 
What office has He ? O wonder of wonders ! 
Up to His thirtieth year He works at home, and 
obeys every order of His foster-father. Look 
at Him and consider the Divine Artisan, and if 
shame does not prevent you, you may complain 
of your office. 

The second difficulty of obedience is the Su- 




Christ's Wonderful Obedience. 97 

perior who governs us. During the years of our 
religious life we have now and then Superiors 
whose government is severe and troublesome. 
Some are wanting in humility, and are too par- 
tial to those they like; others do not care to 
know the temper of their subjects, and treat 
them without consideration; some are deficient 
in charity, and have not much compassion on 
those under them; some lack meekness, and 
have not the necessary affability to win hearts 
and make the yoke of obedience sweet. They 
who desire to have true obedience must be like 
unto Jesus Christ, their model. He stands before 
Pilate's tribunal. The sentence is pronounced: 
He is condemned to death. How little would it 
have cost Him to free Himself from this con- 
demnation ! He could have shown to the whole 
world the injustice of this sentence. He could 
have hurled Pilate from his judgment-seat into 
hell. He could, as He did at another time, have 
escaped by making Himself invisible. Jesus 
does nothing of the kind. He receives the sen- 
tence from Pilate as if it came from His Hea- 
venly Father. He obeys Him until death; yea, 
the death of the Cross. Who among you, then, 
can complain of your superiors, since Christ 
obeyed a most unjust judge ? 

3. Let us consider all the other difficulties of 
obedience. In religious life many things are 
commanded which are not agreeable to our taste. 
We consider them neither necessary, nor useful, 
nor becoming. We are ordered to do many 



98 The Truths of Salvation. 

things to which we naturally feel a repugnance. 
Many things are enjoined which do not tally with 
our will, and which are by their nature trouble- 
some, especially if they last very long. What 
did Christ do to set us an example, and to merit 
for us the grace to follow Him ? Was it easy 
for Him to remain so many years in a workshop, 
and always to obey his foster-father's call ? Was 
it easy for him to travel for three years from 
town to town, and to be ill treated in almost every 
place ? Was it not painful for Him to hear the 
sentence of death passed on Him, and afterwards 
to die on an infamous cross ? In all these diffi- 
culties Jesus Christ instantly obeyed, without a 
murmur; He obeyed with the most perfect res- 
ignation. Alas ! what is our obedience com- 
pared with His ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

Self-abasement. — In whatever way I look at 
my soul, I see, O Jesus, nothing conformable 
to Thee. I should entirely lay aside my own 
will and behold naught but Thee in my Superi- 
ors, observe their very looks, and not only not 
take their commands ill, but fulfil them joyfully. 
Thus should I obey. My vow of obedience, and 
the example which Thou gavest to me, demand 
this. But alas ! how often have I failed in this 
respect by the obstinacy of my judgment, and 
by the stubbornness of my will. How many sins 
have I committed by my inward murmurs and 
my open complaints ! Would not these sins, 




Christ's Wonderful Obedience. 99 

even if I had no others, be enough to cause me 
to fear Thy justice ? 

Compunction.— I acknowledge my infidelity, 
and detest it with all my heart. How great are 
these sins in Thy sight, and yet they seemed to 
me, until now, insignificant ! As I have vowed 
obedience not to man, but to Thee, my God, so, 
by my disobedience, I have not offended man, 
but Thy supreme majesty. As often as I have 
preferred my judgment to the judgment of my 
superiors, I have despised Thy infinite wisdom. 
As often as I have resisted the will of my Supe- 
riors, I have set at naught Thy will. As often 
as I have censured in my heart, or with my tongue, 
the appointments of my Superiors, I have blamed 
the appointments of Thy infinite love and good- 
ness. " He that heareth you heareth Me, and he 
that despiseth you despiseth Me." These are 
Thy words, O Jesus, and by them I see how 
guilty I am, and how blind I have been. 



POINT II. 

On the Wonderful Happiness of a Soul that 
practises Blind, and therefore Perfect, 
Obedience. 

We have viewed attentively the obedience of 
Christ, let us now consider the happiness it gives. 

1st. Those who are obedient know that they 
do the will of God at every moment. Let us 
imagine God permits your guardian angel to be 



IOO The Truths of Salvation. 

seen by you day and night, to make known to 
you in every circumstance that which God re- 
quires. Could there be on earth a greater hap- 
piness ? But lively faith will show that those 
who practise blind obedience are at every instant 
as much assured of the will of God as if an an- 
gel made it known to them. They are as certain 
of the will of God as Christ was at Nazareth. 
They have as much security of the will of God as 
had the Apostles, who heard the very w r ords of life. 

2d. All the works of those who are obedient 
become highly valuable and meritorious in the 
sight of God. Nothing is more wonderful than 
the value of obedience, for the smallest works 
done through obedience are very great before 
God. To eat and drink moderately out of obedi- 
ence is a great work before God. To fast a 
whole year on bread and water without obedi- 
ence is nothing before Him. To travel through 
the whole world and to preach everywhere the 
gospel without obedience is nothing before God; 
but to wash dishes or sweep a room out of obe- 
dience is a great work before Him. The only 
sure rule to measure the excellence of a work is 
the will of God. Return once more unto the 
workshop at Nazareth and contemplate Jesus. 
The labor which He did, low though it may 
appear, was so great that He, God-man that He 
was, could do no greater. Why so ? Because 
it was the will of God, His Father. 

3d. All who are obedient reach perfect sanc- 
tity in a short time. The two reasons are: 



Christ's Wonderful Obedience. 101 

i. The nature of perfection and sanctity it- 
self. To be holy is to do nothing else but the 
will of God and live as He wills. The obedient 
desire nothing, seek nothing, do nothing but 
what God wills. They rise at a time that God 
wills, go to bed when God wills, and pray when 
God wills; they therefore become holy in a 
short time. 

2. The providence of God. God loves an 
obedient soul. He carries it in the bosom of 
His providence, as a mother carries her child in 
her arms. He governs and leads it, and takes 
care of all that concerns it. All Hell and earth 
may rise up against it; men may seek to check 
its onward course. It is in vain. This soul 
is under the protection of an infinitely wise, 
powerful and benevolent God. He will infalli- 
bly conduct it to the degree of sanctity which 
He wills for it, and bring it to Heaven to the 
throne of glory to which from eternity it was 
predestined. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Faith. — The Superiors rule, not in their own 
name, but in the name of Jesus Christ; they 
command, not in virtue of their own powers, but 
in the virtue of the power of Jesus Christ. What- 
ever they order I should approve and perform, not 
because it is their will, but that of Jesus Christ. 
Whoever believes this not should hearken to 
Christ's own words: r He that heareth you 
heareth Me, and he that despiseth you despis- 



102 The Truths of Salvation. 

eth Me" (St. Luke,x. 16). This, Thy saying, O 
Jesus, I humbly accept. I believe that the will 
of my Superiors is Thy will; I believe that their 
appointments are Thine, and their commands 
Thine. I believe that I cannot withdraw myself 
from their guidance and direction without with- 
drawing myself from the guidance and direction 
of Thy providence. 

Hope and Confidence. — I have vowed obedi- 
ence, therefore I gave over to Thee my will and 
my liberty forever, and Thou didst promise to 
guide and govern me through my Superiors. I 
commit myself to Thy providence, and will live 
henceforth without further temporal care and 
trouble. Thou art Infinite Wisdom, and know- 
est what offices are the best for me. Thou art 
Infinite Goodness, and wilt take care that my 
Superiors give only such commands as are for 
my greatest good. Thou art Infinite Truth, and 
didst pledge Thy word that they who hear Supe- 
riors hear Thee. 

An Act of Love and Self-offering. 

Animated with confidence, O Jesus, my only 
and Supreme Good, I throw myself down into 
the abyss of my nothingness. This moment I 
promise and vow a new obedience; I renounce 
my judgment, my will, my liberty, and give 
them entirely and perfectly up to those whom 
Thou didst appoint to guide and govern me. 



Christ's Wonderful Charity and Meekness. 103 



initiation 4. 

On the Wonderful Charity and 
Meekness of Christ in His 
Public Life. 



point I. 



Christ underwent first the Hardships which 
render Charity and Meekness difficult. 

These two virtues are essential to sanctity. 
Let us look at the example of Christ, and resolve 
to bear what He has borne for us. Here are 
the hardships of these two virtues: 

1 st. To have to deal with men on whom all 
our pains and labors are lost. What did not 
Christ do to convert the Jews ? For three years 
He travelled over Judea and Samaria. He went 
from town to town and preached with Divine 
eloquence. He heaped upon them all sorts of 
blessings, He wrought many miracles, and in- 
vited them so lovingly to His Kingdom. But 
what did it avail ? Some despised Him and 
said, Where has the son of a carpenter learned 
these things ? Others laughed at Him and de- 
rided His doctrine. The Pharisees called Him a 
wicked man who keeps not the law. The high- 
priest publicly condemned His doctrine, and ex- 
horted the people not to be seduced by Him, 
and excommunicated those who followed Him. 



104 The Trutlis of Salvation. 

Hence but few were converted; the rest remained 
obstinate and inflexible. How hard it is to love 
people of this sort. 

2d. To have to deal with persons, who, through 
envy and hatred, interpret everything wrongly. 
Almost at every step of His public life Christ 
encountered this hardship. Through love and 
compassion He often cured the sick on the Sab- 
bath. Impious men said: He cannot be from 
God because He keeps not the Sabbath day. 
He dined with public sinners that He might 
convert them; they said: He is a wine-bibber and 
loves good cheer. He wrought many wonders 
to bring men to the knowledge of God; they 
said: He works not the miracles by Himself, but 
the Devil works them through Him. 

3d. To have to deal with people who acknowl- 
edge no benefit and only return evil for good. 
Jesus came to Nazareth, preached in the syna- 
gogue, and showed His fellow-citizens all imagi- 
nable love. What was their gratitude for this 
grace ? They led Him to a rock to throw Him 
down. He preached at Jerusalem, and told 
them that He was the Son of God and the prom- 
ised Messiah. They called Him a blasphemer, 
and wished to stone Him to death. 

4th. To have around one's self false brethren. 
Jesus knew what lay hidden in Judas's heart. 
He knew that he was the one who after some 
time would betray Him and deliver Him up to 
death. 

5 th. To have to deal with people who, as we 



Christ's Wonderful Charity and Meekness. 105 

know, actually abhor and detest us. The high- 
priests and Scribes in their secret councils con- 
demned Jesus to death; they declared publicly 
that they would exclude from the synagogue 
those who followed Him. They issued an order 
to apprehend Christ as an impostor and to de- 
liver Him into their hands; nevertheless He loved 
them and He loved them most tenderly with a 
father's love. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Confusion. — How strong and ardent is Thy 
love, O Jesus, how weak and cold is mine ! Thou 
hadst to converse with people who openly re- 
proached and abused Thee; who everywhere 
proclaimed Thee an impostor and blasphemer; 
who under the mask of friendship sought to 
deliver Thee up to Thy enemies; who resolved 
not to cease until they had nailed Thee on the 
Cross. What injurious treatment was this ! But 
it could not extinguish Thy love. Ah ! woe is 
me ! How little have I of Thy meekness and 
Thy love ! A severe look, a contemptuous word, 
an unkind refusal suffices to smother my charity. 
This is the progress I have made after Thy many 
graces ! 

Resolution. — O Jesus, shall this be always 
so? Shall my heart always remain tepid and 
cold ? Shall I never have charity and meekness ? 
Thou didst call me, O Jesus, to a religious life to 
follow Thee as closely as possible; it was the 
first lesson Thou hast taught mankind: " Learn 



106 The Truths of Salvation. 

of me, because I am meek and humble of heart." 
How shall I dare to appear before Thee, if I 
have not these virtues ? What account shall I 
give to Thee of the abuse of so many graces ? 



POINT II. 

The Marvellous Qualities of Jesus's Charity 
for Us. 

ist. His charity, notwithstanding the many 
injuries inflicted on Him, was ever ardent. This 
indeed was truly wonderful, for Jesus was Om- 
niscience itself; He saw in the days of His life 
many who hated Him, who asserted that He was 
an impostor, who insulted and blasphemed Him, 
and sought to condemn Him to the death of the 
Cross; all this He saw, and always loved most 
ardently. How would you feel if surrounded 
by hundreds of thousands who supposed you to 
be wicked, who wherever they went slandered 
you, and even sought to take your life ? 

2d. His charity, notwithstanding the many in- 
sults offered to Him, was always tender. For 
three years He saw Judas, He knew his evil in- 
tention, but this diminished not His love; He 
conversed with him, and treated him as affably 
as He did the rest of the Apostles. He gave 
both him and them power to work miracles; at 
the Last Supper He washed his feet like those 
of the others, so that even the Apostles suspected 
nothing. Yea, even at the moment when he be- 



Christ's Wonderful Charity and Meekness. 107 

trayed Him into the hands of His enemies, He 
called him friend and kissed him. Could He 
have conversed more lovingly with St. John, 
whom He loved best of all the Apostles ? 

3d. His charity, notwithstanding the many af- 
fronts heaped upon Him, was constantly benefi- 
cent and generous. While the daily ingratitude 
of the Jews towards Him increased in rage and 
fury, He multiplied the more His benefits to- 
wards them. He prayed continually with all the 
fervor of His heart to His Heavenly Father for 
their salvation. Not a week passed without His 
working miracles and performing prodigies to 
bring them to the knowledge of God. Malchus 
was one of those who had come to apprehend 
Jesus, and whose ear was cut off; Jesus but 
stretched forth His hand and healed his ear. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Compunction. — Now I know, O Jesus, what 
it is to love. To love those who love us, who 
are well disposed towards us, who do us good, 
is to love as the Jews and heathens. To love 
those who are not well disposed towards us, who 
wrong and calumniate us, is to love as Jesus did. 
But how have I loved ? Alas ! how feeble is my 
love! My love most of the time has been that of 
the Jews and heathens. Seldom have I loved as 
Jesus loved. I have erred then, and I have not 
the virtue which is the essential feature of Chris- 
tianity, the apple of the eye of a religious com- 
munity and the groundwork of perfection. I 



108 The Truths of Salvation. 

detest, O Jesus, with my whole heart everything 
which I have done against this amiable virtue, 
and I humbly crave Thy pardon. 

Love. — Henceforth my first care and my 
earnest endeavor shall be to love God with my 
whole heart, and for His sake my neighbor as 
myself. These are the two precepts which, O 
my Saviour, Thou hast taught and shown by 
Thy example. Thou didst die for all, and hast 
commanded me to love all; I will love them, 
therefore, and love them as myself. Thou, O 
Jesus, have mercy on them, and give every one 
of them as much temporal and eternal happiness 
as I wish for myself. 

Resolution. — Such is the sentiment of my 
heart, but it is not sufficient, it must manifest it- 
self in action — otherwise it is no love. What, 
then, will I do for the love of my neighbor ? I 
will do that which I would like to be done to 
myself. I wish every one to have a good opinion 
of me; I will act thus towards others; no more 
suspicious, rash judgments or contempt on my 
part. I wish every one to treat me kindly; I will 
do the same for others. I wish every one to bear 
patiently with my faults and imperfections and 
not, to speak ill of me; thus also will I act to- 
wards my neighbor. This is genuine and prac- 
tical love. Grant me, O Jesus, the grace to love 
henceforth as Thou didst love. 



FIFTH DAY. 
JlleMtation 5. 

THE CONCLUSION OF THE SECOND 
WEEK. 

We have contemplated the pre-eminent virtues 
of Jesus Christ. Weigh now in your mind some 
of the maxims of the spiritual life. 

ist. As much as you have of the spirit of 
Christ, so much have you of true sancity and 
perfection. If you desire to know what prog- 
ress you have made on the road to perfection, 
see how much you have of this spirit. If every- 
thing in you corresponds with Christ's spirit, 
then you truly possess sanctity. The greater 
your resemblance to this model, the holier and 
more perfect you are. 

2d. You have as much of the spirit of Christ 
as you have of His obedience, humility, meek- 
ness and charity. There is no virtue which in 
the life of Christ did not shine most perfectly; 
nevertheless He has not given such striking ex- 
amples in the others as in these four virtues. 
The two last he enjoined on us as earnestly as 
if they comprised the very essence of His spirit. 
" Learn of Me," He said, " because I am meek 
and humble of heart." (St. Matt. xi. 29.) 

3d. Hence you see the reason why so few, 



1 10 The Truths of Salvation. 

even of the most strict religious orders of the 
Church, arrive at sanctity. The most of the 
religious are satisfied if they perform the ex- 
ercises which are not painful to human nature. 
They meditate and pray, they do their works 
with a good intention, fulfil all the duties of 
their offices, and practise austerities according 
to their different rules But to cast off actively 
their own will, to be perfectly indifferent so as 
to be ready to do the bidding of the superiors 
at their beck, to repress the love of honor and 
willingly to accept contempt, gradually to over- 
come impatience and all feelings of indignation, 
to treat ill-natured and obstinate persons be- 
nignantly and affably, and to crush self-love 
completely — these are virtues which but few 
practise. The first means towards the attain- 
ment of perfection is purity of heart; we must 
devote our care to the purifying of our whole 
heart, because there lies the root of all our evils. 
When the heart is thoroughly cleansed, God 
fills the soul and all its powers, the memory, 
the understanding, and the will with His holy 
presence and love. This purity of heart leads 
to union with God, and no one attains thereto 
by any other means. Jesus does not communi- 
cate Himself to religious who do not strive after 
purity of heart; He lets them live and die in 
their inferiority. If then you earnestly seek 
sanctity and union with God, it is absolutely nec- 
essary that you walk in the footsteps of Christ 
and try to imitate His virtues. 



Exercise of Obedience. 1 1 1 

Exercise of Obedience. 

(i.) I will keep myself in continual indifference 
with respect to the behests of Superiors; conse- 
quently I will ask nothing, seek nothing, refuse 
nothing. 

(2.) I will in all circumstances behold God in 
them, firmly believing that their will is God's 
will. 

(3.) I will execute all their commands with 
reverence and exactness. 

"Exercise of Humility. 

(1.) I will relinquish all love of honor so as to 
spurn all self-esteem or self-complacency; and I 
will never say a word or do the least action 
through vainglory. 

(2.) I will leave my good name entirely to 
God, so as to bear contempt as often as it pleases 
His Divine Majesty. 

(3.) I will accept with an undisturbed mind 
every humiliation from whatever source it may 
come. 

Exercise of Meekness and Charity. 

(1.) I will keep a benevolent heart for all man- 
kind so as never willingly and knowingly to con- 
ceive angry feelings for any one. 

(2.) In every circumstance I will treat all 
charitably and kindly. 

(3.) Whatever may be done to me by others, I 
will suffer it silently, so as to return good for evil. 



1 12 The Truths of Salvation, 

These are the points in which the spirit of 
Christ and the imitation of His virtues manifest 
themselves. Are you resolved to follow Jesus 
Christ? If so, offer yourself up to Him thus: 
Thy spirit, O Jesus, is to despise honor and to 
love contempt; to renounce my will and to follow 
that of others; to converse with all affably, and 
to suffer silently all reproaches and insults. Not 
only this is Thy spirit, but it is also the only way 
which leads to Thy love and to union with Thee. 
Thou art sanctity itself, and Thou canst never 
dwell in a heart unless it be cleansed from evil 
affections and be resplendent with Thy virtues. 
Oh, what ardent love for Thee, what familiar 
communication, what intimate union with Thee 
would I now have, had I died to myself and lived 
according to Thy spirit ! O unhappy me, of 
what heavenly treasures have I deprived myself ! 
But all is not yet lost ! Through Thy mercy I 
know now Thy spirit and also the road which 
leads to Thee. 1 can yet cleanse my heart 
from all defilement; I can yet arrive at familiar 
communication and intimate union with Thee, 
I, O Jesus, who have so often offended Thee; I, 
who have abused so many graces; I, who for so 
many years have turned a deaf ear to Thy in- 
vitations. 



The Two Standards. 113 

THIRD WEEK. 

Jntmrteiriate JIUMtatton 1. 

The Intermediate Meditations join more closely 
taction with suffering. 

The Two Standards. 

To understand well the purpose of this week, 
we must know that to follow Christ, to live ac- 
cording to His spirit, and to practise virtue as 
He practised it, cannot be done without suffering 
with courageous and generous spirit; for this 
reason our holy father Ignatius presents to us 
the example of Christ, that we may not refuse to 
suffer for God what He has suffered for us. The 
present Meditation, therefore, is directed towards 
this point, that we resolve earnestly to follow 
Christ and to live according to His spirit, cost 
what it may. 

POINT I. 

Whom We are to follow — Jesus Christ or 
Satan — may be seen from the Design of 
the Two Leaders whom We now Propose. 

1st. The design of Jesus Christ is to draw all 
mortals to follow Him, that they may save their 
souls and eternally love and praise His Heavenly 
Father. The reason of this is the two-fold love 
which burns in His heart. The first is the ten- 



114 The Truths of Salvation, 

derest love for His Heavenly Father; for as He 
loves Him most perfectly, He also desires that 
He may be forever praised, honored, glorified 
by men. The second is the most affectionate 
love for them; since He loves them most ardent- 
ly, He wishes them to seek their salvation and 
to enjoy forever with Him His own bliss. 

2d. The design of Satan is to draw all mortals 
to his standard, that thus they may desert and 
dishonor God and precipitate themselves into 
eternal perdition. He is fired with a two-fold 
hatred. First, hatred for God; for since he was 
cast out of Heaven by a just judgment, he in- 
tensely hates God, and cannot bear to see Him 
honored, praised and loved. Second, hatred 
for us; for as he knows the infinite glory and 
happiness prepared by God for us in Heaven, his 
hatred, envy and fury are savagely fierce; he 
employs every possible means to deprive us of 
this happiness and to drag us into his own misery. 
What choice will you now make ? Which of the 
two leaders will you follow ? 

When the young Tobias was about to set out 
for a strange country, the Archangel Raphael 
offered himself, under the form of a young man, 
as guide. But let us suppose two young men 
had presented themselves as guides, one of whom 
was the Archangel and the other Satan, and that 
Tobias had rejected Raphael and had selected 
Satan; would he not have been a great fool to act 
so unwisely ? You, like Tobias, are on a long 
journey and on a strange road, the road to eter- 












The Two Standards, 1 1 5 



nity. Jesus and the Devil offer themselves as 
guides. Which of the two will you follow ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

What a strange choice this is between Jesus 
and the Devil ! Jesus is the only begotten Son 
of the Heavenly Father; Jesus is sanctity itself; 
Jesus seeks only my happiness. The Devil is the 
greatest enemy of God, a damned spirit; he hates 
me bitterly, he seeks nothing but my eternal per- 
dition. What shall I do ? I am ashamed to ask 
this question. Have I lost my senses to leave 
God and follow Satan ? Do I hate myself so 
much as to turn away from the road to Heaven, 
and to rush madly to Hell ? God forbid ! Thou, 
O Jesus, art the way, the truth and the life. 
Thou art the Way which securely leads to bliss; 
the Truth which knows all dangers; the Life by 
which we shall possess eternal life. Receive me, 
O Jesus, under Thy standard. I will follow Thee 
and Thee alone till death. 



POINT II. 

Whom We are to follow — Jesus Christ or 
Satan — may be seen by the Ends to which 
both lead. 

There is an infinite difference between the 
standard of Jesus Christ and that of Satan. 
Consider both well. 

1st. Under the standard of Jesus we are in- 



1 1 6 The Truths of Salvation. 

vited to that which is hard and bitter to nature; 
viz., to voluntary poverty, to blind obedience, to 
continual self-abnegation, to humility and the 
love of contempt, to silence in trials and perse- 
cution, to joy in pains and tribulations. This is 
the spirit of Jesus Christ. But although such a 
life seems to be bitter, the end to which it leads 
is sweet and desirable. What is this end? It 
may be told in a few words, but you must reflect 
on them during your whole life. The end to 
which Jesus leads, is the avoidance of an infinite 
evil, namely, Hell — and the acquisition of an in- 
finite good, which is — Heaven — and both for 
eternity. 

2d. Under Satan's standard we are invited to 
that which is pleasing to nature. He promises 
those who follow him temporal goods and riches, 
the honor, the love and the esteem of men, the 
pleasures of the body, joyful, independent and 
unrestrained lives. This is the spirit of Satan. 
But what is the end to which this cunning and 
this accursed spirit leads ? Ah ! Be not deceived! 
The end is the loss of an infinite good, which is 
Heaven, and the incurring of an infinite evil, 
which is Hell; and both for eternity. Here pause 
awhile and raise your eyes to Heaven. Behold 
Jesus sitting at the right hand of His Heavenly 
Father, next to Him a multitude of elect in in- 
expressible glory and bliss. Who are those, pray 
tell me, who are nearest to Jesus ? Oh ! Be as- 
tonished; the Apostles, who as impostors were 
driven from city to city, were cast into chains, 



The Two Standards. 117 

were everywhere persecuted and con emned to 
death; monks and hermits and apostolic men, 
who labored for the honor of God, amid thou- 
sands of insults and contumelies; holy virgins, 
who suffered with patience and in silence so many 
affronts, railleries, and trying vexations. As 
they were on earth close to Jesus in suffering, so 
they are now high in Heaven and close to Him 
in glory. Next, turn your eyes down to the in- 
fernal depths; behold there Satan tormented in 
an ocean of fire and brimstone, and around him 
a multitude of reprobates in excruciating pains 
and tortures. But who are those who are down 
so low in hell and so near to Satan ? Ah ! the 
mighty lords and grand ladies who were wor- 
shipped and adored on earth. These lords and 
ladies were in the highest positions, honors, dig- 
nities, Their foolish pride has brought them to 
these pains. These men and women who could 
refuse nothing to the desires of the flesh are 
plunged by their carnal pleasures into this mis- 
ery. On earth they listened to the insidious 
invitations of Satan, and are now with him deep, 
very deep in Hell. 

AFFECTIONS. 

The more I contemplate Thee, O Jesus, the 
clearer I see that neither in my understanding has 
there been any knowledge of truth, nor in my will 
any love of virtue. On earth Thou didst esteem 
nothing but poverty and privations, pains and 
hardships. These things Thou didst regard as 



1 1 8 The Truths of Salvation. 

the surest means to sanctity and to a high degree 
of glory in Heaven. Thou didst despise riches 
and temporal blessings, the honor and applause 
of men, the delights of the senses, and didst look 
on them as the most dangerous allurements for 
the unwary to beguile them into Hell. O what 
reason have not I to feel shame and confusion ! 
I dare not lift up my eyes to Thee on the Cross. 
What Thou didst esteem, I despise; what Thou 
didst seek, I flee; w r hat Thou didst love, I hate. 
The invitations which the Devil makes please us; 
the inspirations which Thou, O my Jesus, givest, 
displease me. It is just as if I had tacitly made 
a resolution to follow Satan, and not to follow 
Thee. What then shall I do ? I must follow 
Thee, O Jesus ! Henceforth I must regard Thee 
as the only leader to sanctity and perfection. 



POINT III. 

Whom We are to follow — Jesus or Satan — 
may be seen by the end for which god 
has called us to the religious state. 

Bring to mind once more your last end. You 
were, under God's guidance, cheered on to re- 
ligious life, that you might honor and love God 
here more perfectly than seculars, and eternally 
possess Him hereafter in a higher glory. But 
to honor and love Him thus, you must closely 
follow Jesus Christ. Examine thoroughly the 
truth I now present to your consideration: 






The Two Standards. 119 



1st. The calling to perfection is an extraordi- 
nary grace. God is infinite power, infinite wis- 
dom, and the inexhaustible source of every good. 
And yet, notwithstanding all these perfections, 
He can give nothing greater and more excellent 
than perfect love and union with Him. This is 
the grace of all graces, the summary of all the 
mercies of God, and the most precious jewel of 
all His riches. According to the testimony of 
St. John Chrysostom, a soul that arrives at per- 
fection is in the sight of God better than ten 
thousand ordinary Christians. 

2d. One can attain to perfection only by the 
means which God has appointed. To raise a 
soul to perfection is an act of the greatest mercy 
of God. He is as little obliged to bestow this 
grace on you as a mighty king to make a poor 
country girl a queen, and to place her next to 
himself on the throne. Whatever conditions 
God, according to His Divine pleasure, imposes 
for attaining this inestimable grace, you must 
fulfil, and whatever means He prescribes you 
must employ. 

3d. These means are the universal and perfect 
imitation of Jesus Christ. " I am the door" — 
these are the very words of our dear Lord — "by 
Me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved; and 
he shall go in, and go out, and shall find pas- 
tures" (St. John x. 9). "This is My beloved 
Son," says the Heavenly Father, " in whom I 
have pleased Myself ; hearyeHim" (2 Pet. i. 17). 
The door to sanctity then is Jesus. The model 



120 The Truths of Salvation. 






of holiness is Jesus. If you enter by this door 
you will acquire perfection, the purest love of 
God, and the most intimate union with Him. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Faith. — How far above the understanding of 
men are Thy judgments, O God ! Thou art the 
eternal truth; I have but to assent. I believe 
that true riches consist in poverty, true glory in 
contempt, true peace in the testimony of a good 
conscience, true liberty in subjection, and the 
true way to holiness in following Thee. Any 
other way is nothing else but the caricature of 
virtue, but deception, but hypocrisy, all which 
cannot stand in Thy sight. 

Desire of Union with God. — Thou art, O 
Lord, my only and supreme good, in whom all 
my happiness is centred. I sigh after Thee with 
all the powers of my soul. I must love Thee 
in this world and love Thee perfectly, that I may 
enjoy Thee in the glory which Thou hast pre- 
pared from eternity for those who follow Thee. 
This ineffable consolation here on earth and 
hereafter must be purchased by continued self- 
abnegation and heroic virtue. Nature may re- 
pine; still I am fully determined to follow Thee, 
O Jesus. And how can I refuse ? Can it be too 
hard to love, on account of Thee, ill-disposed and 
perverse persons, since for my sake Thou didst 
pray on the Cross for Thy executioners ? Why 
should not I, a guilty creature, suffer a little for 
Thee, since Thou hast suffered so much for mc ? 




The Three Classes of Men. 12 1 

O give me Thy spirit, Thy obedient spirit, Thy 
humble spirit, Thy meek spirit, and Thy chari- 
table spirit, and I will bless Thee and glorify 
Thee on earth, so as to be able to bless and glo- 
rify Thee in Heaven. 



Intermttrtate JflxMtatton 2. 

The Three Classes of Men. 



POINT I. 



To the First Class belong Those who aim at 
Perfection, but only in Desire; They speak 
of it continually, but do not wish it sin- 
cerely. 

Let us visit in spirit an hospital of ordinary 
patients. Here lies one with a burning fever. 
It speedily increases and death is feared. The 
physician is called, and declares the sickness fa- 
tal but not irremediable, provided the medicine 
which he prescribes be faithfully taken. This is 
the very thing which displeases the sick person, 
who keeps repeating, " I desire with all my heart 
to be restored to health, but I wish none of your 
medicines. These I cannot and will not take." 
Does this patient really wish to be cured ? From 
the hospital let us go to the cell of a religious, 
who has been in a fearful state of long standing 
tepidity. The evil, however, may be remedied 



122 The Truths of Salvation, 

by a firm resolve and a determined will, by say- 
ing all prayers with fervor, by performing all 
works in the spirit of love and a pure intention, 
by walking in the presence of God, by frequent 
aspirations, and by courageous self-denial. This 
does not at all please a tepid religious, who con- 
tinually says, " I wish with all my heart to attain 
to perfection, but these means I cannot and I will 
not use." Has this religious an earnest desire 
to arrive at perfection ? 

Let us now consider the evils of tepidity. 

(i.) Such tepidity is why God allows the soul 
to fall into grievous sins. 

He manifests this by two comparisons. The 
first He takes from a field: "The earth that 
drinketh in the rain which cometh upon it, and 
bringeth forth thorns and briers, is reprobate 
and very near unto a curse" (Heb. vi. 7, 8). 

The second He takes from lukewarm water, 
which nobody can long bear without loathing 
and disgust. " Because thou art lukewarm, and 
neither cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee 
out of My mouth" (Apoc. iii. 16). 

(2.) Such tepidity is why God finally allows 
the soul to perish. 

This truth He again explains in two compari- 
sons: The first is drawn from a tree on the way- 
side, which He curses: " Seeing a certain fig-tree, 
He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves 
only, and He saith to it, May no fruit grow on 
thee henceforth forever. And immediately the 
fig-tree withered away" (St. Matt. xxi. 19). The 



The Three Classes of Men. 123 

second is taken from a tree in a garden. The 
owner of a garden found a tree for three succes- 
sive years without fruit. He turned to the gar- 
dener and said to him, " Behold for these three 
years I come, seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and 
I find none. Cut it down therefore; why cum- 
bereth it the ground ?" (St. Luke xiii. 7). 

AFFECTIONS. 

Fear. — I am struck with terror when I con- 
sider these words which Thou hast spoken; I 
may be lost yet, I whom Thou hast called to a 
religious life in preference to so many thou- 
sands, I on whom Thou hast showered such a 
multitude of graces. O cursed tepidity ! thou 
must indeed be a great evil, since thou may be 
the cause of my being cast off forever by a God 
of infinite mercy. 

Compunction. — Have patience with me a 
while, O Jesus ! I detest and bewail from my 
inmost soul all the negligences of which I have 
been guilty. I am sorry for the abuse of so 
many of Thy graces and mercies. Until now 
I have lived in such a manner that I have neither 
taken a serious care of Thy honor nor of the 
salvation of my immortal soul. Through Thy 
mercy, O Jesus, I now see my wickedness, and 
I am resolved for the future to follow Thee 
closely. 



1 24 The Truths of Salvation. 



POINT II. 

To the Second Class belong Those who wish, 
it is true, to aim at Perfection, but have 
not a Universal and Generous Will. 

Let us return once more to the sick-room. Lo! 
here lies another person entirely different from 
the first. This person desires to be restored to 
health, and for this purpose is ready to employ 
the means, but not all; objects to burning and 
cutting and other painful methods. What are 
we to say of this patient ? There is a will, but 
not a strong, universal and heroic will. In the 
same condition are many religious. They desire 
to arrive at perfection, and in order to obtain it 
they are ready to employ the means, but not all. 
Interior dereliction and darkness, aridity and 
grievous, long-lasting temptations, unmerited 
humiliations and contempt, and other trials and 
tribulations of the same sort are too trying for 
them. But what will be the consequences of this 
half will ? Consider them, and let them sink 
deeply into your mind. 

(1.) Such a soul leads a life without consola- 
tion. If we do not give ourselves to God with- 
out reserve, our bad inclinations and inordinate 
affections never die. Pride and love of honor, 
stubbornness and obstinacy, the unrestrained 
use of the tongue, sadness and uncharitable con- 
versation are as strong and as vigorous after 
twenty years as at the first entrance into religion. 



The Three Classes of Men. 125 

They even increase with time, like a sapling 
which grows every year higher and broader. 
Such a one will feel more and more the yoke of 
obedience, bear contempt more and more unwill- 
ingly, in words become freer, and in the inter- 
course with others more and more irritable. 
An unmortified passion in the soul is the same 
as a viper in the bosom. How long can one re- 
main without wounds and pains ? As long as 
the viper remains quiet. As soon as it awakens 
from its dormant state it gnaws and torments. 
Likewise how long is a tepid soul without 
trouble ? As long as its evil affections are at 
rest. If contempt or an injury be inflicted, or a 
harsh and unpleasing command given, it fires 
up and vents its anger on all around. How 
blind we are ! We see not the source of our 
misery. We seek the evil everywhere, but not 
in our soul where it certainly is. 

(2.) Such a soul leads a life without making 
any progress in perfection. God has pro- 
nounced the sentence which shall never be 
changed: "Every one of you that doth not re- 
nounce all that he possesseth cannct be My dis- 
ciple'' (St. Luke xiv. 33). That is to say, they 
who die not entirely to creatures, and give them- 
selves up without reserve to My guidance, can- 
not arrive at My love and at union with Me. 
Why so ? Hear the reason. 

1st. God is Supreme Master. He is free to 
give or not to whom He pleases the special 
graces which are necessary for perfection. Now 



126 The Truths of Salvation. 

He has decreed that He will not give them to 
any soul except it gives itself up to Him without 
reserve. Who dares to call in question this 
mode of acting ? 

2d. God is a supreme excellence. It is His 
due that we consecrate to Him our whole heart, 
with all its affections. He will never forego this 
right, nor ever admit a soul to union with Him 
that reserves to itself the least trifle. 

AFFECTIONS. * 

Acknowledgment. — This sick person who 
has the will to regain health, provided it be with- 
out any painful operation, or without bitter med- 
icine, is a true image of my soul. I desire per- 
fect humility without humiliation and contempt; 
perfect obedience without any severe test; per- 
fect charity and meekness without suffering any 
injury. How foolishly have I acted ! Without 
suffering patiently and joyfully no one before 
me became a saint. I must suffer, I must die to 
myself, if I wish to arrive at perfection. I will, 
then, suffer with Thee, and I will suffer till all 
evil affections have died out. 

Resolution. — Shall I hate myself so much as 
to choose rather the greater cross and fly from 
the smaller ? A little pride causes in the heart 
more trouble and confusion than the most pro- 
found humility; a little anger stirs up the soul 
more than the greatest meekness; a little stub- 
bornness torments the mind more than the most 
perfect obedience. If suffering must necessar- 



The Three Classes of Men. 127 

ily be my portion, either for virtue or for vice, 
I prefer to suffer for virtue. In this case I shall 
suffer for Heaven, and for Thee, O Jesus ! 



POINT III. 

To the Third Class belong Those who have 
an Earnest and Generous Wish to arrive 

at Perfection, and are ready to do what 

Hi 

God demands, and to suffer all that He 
requires for Holiness of Life. 

These are the advantages of this class: 

(1.) A soul thus impressed will surely arrive 
at perfection. 

The more we give ourselves up to God, the 
more He communicates Himself to us. To a 
soul, therefore, t*hat gives itself entirely up to 
Him, He gives Himself without reserve. 

(2.) A soul acting thus shall certainly acquire 
close union with God. 

Union and intimate familiarity with God is 
the reward promised to perfect love. " If any 
one love Me," says our Divine Redeemer, " he 
will keep My word, and My Father will love him, 
and We will come to him and will make Our 
abode with him" (St. John, xiv. 23). 

(3.) A soul, surrendering itself without reserve, 
infallibly obtains from Him graces of the high- 
est order. 

God is infinite liberality; He pours plenteously 
His graces into a soul that consecrates itself en- 



128 The Truths of Salvation. 

tirely to Him. These are, the sweetest tranquil- 
lity, peace, joy of heart, and the most tender af- 
fection for Him. This is the hundred-fold which 
Christ has promised to those who for His love 
have quitted all and even themselves. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Fear. — O my God, how mercifully Thou 
dealest with me ! Through Thy grace I now 
know the way which leads to sanctity. I see 
that I shall infallibly arrive at it, if I only give 
myself up to Thee. But " unto whomsoever 
much is given" — these are Thy words — " of him 
much shall be required; and to whom they have 
committed much, of him they will demand the 
more" (St. Luke xii. 48). Oh, what a misfortune 
would it be for me if the abundance of graces 
which should raise me higher in Heaven would 
only plunge me deeper in Hell ! There are many 
souls that have no medium; they either ascend 
very high in Heaven or descend very low into 
Hell. 

Resolution. — I will then in time be on my 
guard, and walk in the way which Thy Divine 
light has shown me to-day. This moment I give 
myself wholly to Thy guidance. The only thing 
I ask is this: Give me the grace that I may love 
Thee, all the rest I leave to Thy most holy will. 
Whatever adversities and trials occur, I will re- 
gard them as the ordinances of Thy fatherly 
providence, and use them with the most perfect 
submission as means to sanctity. 



SIXTH DAY. 

jfatermcbiate iHebttation 3. 

On the Third Degree of Humil- 
ity, or the Love of Contempt. 



POINT I. 

It is just that We love Contempt. 

So blind are we and self-esteem is so deeply 
rooted in our hearts, that we believe that the 
greatest injustice is done to us when we are de- 
spised, and yet it is certain that nothing but con- 
tempt is our due, and that all men on earth are 
not able to despise us as much as we deserve. 
In the sight of God, who is truth itself, the high 
notions we entertain of our own merit are noth- 
ing but error and falsehood; the desire we have 
to be esteemed, praised and honored is nothing 
but injustice; and that vainglory > that height we 
aspire after, is in fact the depth of degradation. 
I will now fully unfold this truth to you. 

ist. God must punish sin. Faith teaches it. 
God is infinite goodness, and must reward the 
good; He is infinite justice, and must punish the 
wicked. 

2d. God can punish sin as He pleases. God 
has infinite dominion. He can punish sin by pains 
both for the body and for the soul. The most 



a 30 The Truths of Salvation. 

suitable is contempt, for as sin is the contem- 
ning of God, it is just that it be punished by 
contempt. Can there be anything more equita- 
ble than that the sinner, who has dared to de- 
spise an infinitely great God, should be likewise 
despised in return ? 

3d. God can punish sin through whom He 
pleases. He punished David's through his own 
son; the disobedient prophet's by a lion which 
tore him into pieces (3 Kings xiii. 26); Helio- 
dorus's by two angels who scourged him, without 
ceasing, with many stripes (2 Mach. iii. 26); and 
in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, He pun- 
ished our sins by a traitorous Apostle and by 
brutal executioners. He can also punish you 
through whom He pleases. 

4th. How much soever God may punish sin 
He always punishes it less than it deserves. 
Should you live to the end of the world and be 
continually abused, calumniated and persecuted, 
you could not therewith repair the contempt 
which one venial sin throws on the Divine Ma- 
jesty. Have you committed no sins ? Would to 
Heaven it were so; but alas ! you have been 
guilty of hundreds, perhaps of thousands» How 
many and how great soever the humiliations 
He may send you, they will always be fewer and 
less than you have deserved. Hence it follows 
that you cannot complain of contempt on the 
part of any one. In all trials, therefore, you 
should praise God, because it is just that con- 
tempt be ever your lot. 



On the Third Degree of Humility. 1 3 1 



AFFECTIONS. 

An Act of Self-abasement. — It is right, O 
my God, I acknowledge it, yes, it is right that I 
be contemned. What are all the insults of this 
earth in comparison with those I have deserved ? 
If I have ever defiled myself by a single mortal 
sin,- 1 should be in Hell ! I should then deserve 
to be forever cursed by all the elect of Heaven, 
and insulted by all the damned in Hell. Thou 
hast spared me, O my God, this shame, and in- 
stead of eternal curses and maledictions. Thou 
art satisfied that I suffer contempt on earth. 
Should I not then regard it as an effect of Thy 
mercy and bear it cheerfully ? 

Resolution. — May this thought never be ef- 
faced from my memory: I have sinned and de- 
served that Heaven and Hell, angels and men, 
the elect and the reprobate, should abuse me 
eternally. 

POINT II. 

Our own Interest requires that We love 
Contempt. 

In contempt, nothing can be found but what 
is bitter and displeasing; but many things of this 
sort we like even when they are distasteful by 
their nature, if only they are beneficial. Noth- 
ing more agreeable can be brought to a sick per- 
son than a bitter medicine, provided it reani- 
mates and cures. Why, then, should we not 



132 The Truths of Satiation. 

love contempt, since it brings us so great and 
desirable advantages ? 

First advantage. — Contempt destroys pride. 
The greatest impediments to perfection are 
pride and vanity. As long as the least self-es- 
teem and self-complacency, or the slightest love 
of honor, reigns in your soul, so long God does 
not take up His abode therein. He holds it in 
detestation, and leaves it devoid of heavenly 
light, of holy affections, without special graces 
and without the special guidance of His Divine 
providence. What is the remedy for this evil of 
pride? The surest, the most certain and the 
quickest remedy is contempt. There is nothing 
better to extinguish fire than a heavy rain, and 
to destroy pride nothing is more efficacious than 
contempt. Without this remedy few souls reach 
true humility. Should you not, therefore, ar- 
dently desire contempt ? Should you not, when- 
ever you meet with it, bear it joyfully, and praise 
and bless God for allowing it to fall on you ? 
We thank a physician who, though we suffer 
much, successfully performs an operation on us; 
why should we not thank God who, even through 
harsh means, frees us from our accursed pride? 

Second advantage. — Contempt implants hu- 
mility. The best preparation for union with 
God is humility. When God sees it in a soul 
He takes immediate possession of it and showers 
on it His choicest graces. An humble soul is 
like a valley; for, as all mountain waters flow 
into the valley during rainy weather, so also 



On the Third Degree of Humility. 133 

heavenly graces flee the proud, and are gathered 
in the depth of an humble soul. 

What are the means to acquire this virtue so 
pleasing to God ? Look at Jesus and learn from 
Him to love contempt. Our beloved Redeemer 
has shown us in every virtue the fittest means 
for its attainment, and for humility there is 
nothing else but contempt and persecution, and 
perpetual silence in suffering them. 

AFFECTIONS. 

O Jesus, my Redeemer, my All ! I now see 
well what displeases Thee in my heart, and 
what prevents Thee from dwelling therein. The 
seeking of the esteem and the applause of others 
is the evil which renders my heart so hateful to 
Thee. As long as I do not root out this inclina- 
tion I cannot come to Thee, O Saviour ! A 
God who loves humility, and a soul that loves 
pride, cannot be familiarly united. This detest- 
able love of honor is so deeply engrafted in my 
soul that it seems it cannot be completely up- 
rooted. I have resolved over and over to put it 
down, and, nevertheless, I still discern it in my 
heart. My resolutions were only empty words. 
Had I been in earnest, I would have sincerely 
loved those who despised me; had I been in earn- 
est, I would have been well pleased with every 
humiliation that came upon me. O merciful 
Jesus, destroy in me all love of honor, in order 
that Thou alone mayest reign in my heart. 



1 34 The Truths of Salvation. 

POINT III. 

Its Very Excellence requires that We 
Love Contempt. 

Did we but know how precious before God 
the loving of contempt is, we would willingly 
and joyfully undergo the hardships for which 
our nature feels a repugnance. Let us then con- 
sider the excellence of bearing contempt silently. 

First excellence. — It is the greatest sacrifice 
you can make in this life. We think only of 
exalting and advancing ourselves. Our own 
superiority is the point to which all our thoughts 
and desires of the mind centre. Persons who 
forego all pleasures, and chastise their bodies by 
fasting, watching and other austerities, love soli- 
tude and spend many hours every day in prayer, 
who patiently endure excruciating pains of the 
body, are sometimes unable to bear silently cal- 
umny, contempt, or even a harsh rebuke. This 
suffices to shipwreck their whole sanctity. For 
pride cannot be extirpated without a complete 
victory over nature. This, therefore, is the great- 
est sacrifice which we can offer to God. 

Second excellence. — To suffer contempt si- 
lently is the characteristic mark of the following 
of Christ. 

Our Lord met contempt at every step. He 
did not always preach, did not always pray, did 
not always suffer, was not always sad; but al- 
ways was contemned. Thus, He was at His birth 
in a stable, as a child in His flight into Egypt, as 



On the Third Degree of Humility. 135 

a youth in the workshop of Nazareth, in His 
mature age when He appeared publicly, and at 
His death on the Cross. His doctrine, His vir- 
tues and His miracles were despised. He was 
despised in His humanity and His divinity. No 
one, therefore, can have the love of Jesus Christ 
without the love of contempt. 

Third excellence. — To suffer contempt silently 
is the key to the Heart of Jesus and the opening 
to union with Him. In vain do we seek Jesus 
Christ without contempt. Neither prayer, nor 
fasting, nor watching, nor any other exercise 
suffices except dying to self and dying by con- 
tempt. This alone is the spirit of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus loves souls that thus die and no others; 
these He enlightens, and to them He reveals 
His secrets. He sweetens their troubles and 
makes them find their delight in crosses. With 
these He keeps up familiar intercourse and ad- 
mits them to union with Himself. To them these 
words of Holy Writ apply: " Behold ! I stand at 
the gate and knock; if any man shall hear My 
voice and open to Me the door, I will come in 
to him and will sup with him and he with Me" 
(Apoc. iii. 20). Are we not then foolish and in- 
considerate in being troubled by contempt ? 
Should we not ardently desire a good, which 
Jesus prizes so highly ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

The love of honor must, therefore, die in my 
soul, and that of contempt must live therein 



1 36 The Truths of Salvation. 

continually; otherwise I can never be interiorly 
purified. Accept then, O God, the oblation 
which I now make. 

(1.) I detest and put away forever all love of 
honor; I do not wish any one to be occupied 
for a single instant with me in thought, or es- 
teem, or love; supposing this should happen 
against my will, I forego the pleasure which 
may spring therefrom as something which is an 
abomination in Thy sight. 

(2.) I love and choose with all my heart the 
state of contempt. Whatever may befall me in 
it, through Thy mercy, I will for Thy sake bear 
silently, and praise and bless Thee. 

(3.) In Thy hands I place now whatever right I 
may have to my honor and reputation. I will 
care for it no more than if it were another's 
good. Accept, O Jesus, this sacrifice; I will 
renew it every day and in it I desire to live and 
die. 
Prayer to obtain the Spirit of Humility. 

Without Thee, O Jesus, all my good desires 
will vanish like smoke; without Thee I shall never 
carry out my resolutions. Look, then, on me, O 
dearest Jesus, with an eye of pity. Give me a 
heart like unto Thine ! Grant that I may love 
all Thou hast loved, and detest whatever Thou 
hast detested. 



On the Mental Sufferings of Christ. 137 



fHe&ttatton 1. 

On the Mental Sufferings of 
Christ in the Garden of 
Gethsemane. 

point I. 

Christ has led the Way in Suffering all the 
Mental Trials which are met with on the 
Road to Perfection. 

The adorable Heart of our dear Redeemer 
suffered the most terrible anguish and distress. 
Remember, however, that the Divinity gave 
Christ as little assistance as the soul of one of 
the elect gives its mouldering body. He has 
suffered as He would have suffered had He been 
a mere man like yourself. His first suffering 
was overwhelming sadness. Its causes were 
two-fold: The first was his ardent love for us 
No mother ever loved her only child as tenderly 
as Jesus Christ loved each one of us. The 
second was His Omniscience. He foreknew that, 
notwithstanding His passion and death, the 
greater number of wretched mortals would be 
eternally lost. Thence arose sadness so intense 
that it alone would have sufficed to deprive Him 
of life. Great was the sorrow of the heart- 
broken mothers whose babes were butchered by 
Herod's cruel order. Greater still that of Jesus 
on foreseeing the countless millions that would 
be lost forever. 



138 The Truths of Salvation. 

The second suffering of Christ was fear. The 
expectation of death is a terrible torture. It has 
happened more than once that when death was 
announced to the young and healthy, their hair 
became grey in one night through terror. The 
soul of Jesus suffered far more from the fear of 
His own death, because there never has been 
one who could represent to himself, as Jesus 
could, the impending death with its bitter ac- 
companiments. 

The third suffering of Christ was an inward 
struggle. This struggle was between His human 
and Divine nature. The former felt extreme 
reluctance to suffer and die in this way, and 
forced Him to cry out, " Father, if it be possible, 
let this chalice pass away." It, however, over- 
came this repugnance and revoked the first pe- 
tition, in these words, " Not My will but Thine 
be done." This struggle was so fearful that a 
bloody sweat trickled down from His body and 
ensanguined the ground on which He lay pros- 
trate. 

The fourth suffering of Christ was the agony 
of death. Nothing more terrible can befall us 
than the agony of death. A cold sweat bedews 
our foreheads; our hands and feet become stiff 
and torpid; we breathe by gasps, till our last 
convulsive shudder. Let us look now at Jesus 
in His agony. Instead of sweat, drops of blood 
run down; He falls on the ground; His heart 
throbs violently; He suffers, as it were, the 
agony of death. He would have died thereof, 



On the Mental Sufferings of Christ. 1 39 

had not an angel comforted and strengthened 
Him, in order that He might consummate on the 
Cross the sacrifice for the redemption of the 
world. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Astonishment. — O Jesus, Thou wast plunged 
in a sea of bitterness, of horror, of torment, of 
agony and of desolation ! In this horrible con- 
dition I behold in Thee the greatest constancy. 
Thou didst lift up Thy hands towards Heaven 
and pray; Thou didst submit to the will of Thy 
Heavenly Father and prepare Thyself for Thy 
death on the Cross. This is to love truly and to 
seek nothing but the Divine pleasure. What are 
my sufferings compared with Thine, most afflicted 
Jesus ? And, nevertheless, how soon they over- 
power me ! I am poured out on exterior things 
and I am seldom recollected. I feel diffident of 
Thy mercy. These are the unhappy fruits that 
dereliction produces in my soul. I am filled 
with confusion before Thee. Thou art inno- 
cence itself and art overwhelmed with sadness. 
I am a sinner and desire naught but consolation. 

Resolution. — Jesus without a single sin is 
sorrowful unto death, and I, after so many sins, 
desire to be consoled until death. Henceforth 
it shall be enough for me to please my blessed 
Redeemer. Him alone will I seek. Him alone 
will I love, in darkness or in light, in dereliction 
or in consolation. 



140 The Truths of Salvation. 



POINT II. 

The State of Dereliction is more profitable 
to us than that of consolation. 

What peace of mind would we not enjoy in the 
midst of darkness and dereliction by remember- 
ing how profitable this state may be to our dear- 
est interests ! To have an idea of it, let us con- 
sider the following truths: 

First Truth. — The state of dereliction is more 
agreeable to God than that of consolation. 
When our minds are at peace, and devotion 
swells our hearts, we are satisfied. How blind 
we are ! A day of dereliction is incomparably 
better than one of consolation, for, on this latter 
day, God gives us something, but we give noth- 
ing to God. He invites us to His table and al- 
lows us to taste His sweetness. There is liber- 
ality on the part of God towards us, and none 
on our part towards Him. In consolation God 
can find many souls that are faithful, but few 
that are in dereliction. To be deprived of all 
light and consolation, and nevertheless to perse- 
vere fervently in prayer, and to be constant in 
interior recollection, in mortification, and in 
other exercises, while we are assailed and tor- 
mented with temptations, is a sacrifice most 
pleasing to God. 

Second Truth. — The state of dereliction brings 
the soul more safely and quickly to the perfect 
love of God and union with Hkn than the state 



On the Mental Sufferings of Christ. 141 

of consolation. To love God perfectly consists 
in seeking in all things only His Divine will. 
But what can lead us more securely thither than 
the state of dereliction ? For a soul that is faith- 
ful in this state deprives herself of all earthly 
consolation, and God deprives her of all interior 
consolation. Thus it becomes, as it were, cruci- 
fied and dead to self and all creatures. When 
the window-curtain is raised in a room the sun 
pours into it rays of light and warmth. So it is 
with the soul; as soon as it divests itself of all 
attachments to creatures, God sends into it the 
rays of His light and the heat of His love. How 
desirable then is the state of desolation ! As 
fire purifies gold, and consumes all dross, so the 
state of dereliction purifies the soul, and destroys 
in it every inclination to sin. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Oblation. — I behold Jesus in a state of dere- 
liction, and sorrowful unto death. I also see 
that the state of dereliction is extremely profita- 
ble to me, for it brings me to union with Him. 
Now, then, I offer myself wholly to Thee. O 
Lord ! I am ready to be deprived of all com- 
fort, whether it be from Heaven or earth, of all 
light and of all consolation. I am ready to suffer 
interiorly and exteriorly, and to bear with dark- 
ness of mind abandonment and temptations as 
Thou wiliest. My only consolation, henceforth, 
shall be the accomplishment of Thy most holy 
will. 



142 The Truths of Salvation. 

A Prayer to Obtain Fortitude. — I raise my 
heart and hands to Thee, O Jesus, to implore 
Thy mercy. To be deprived of all heavenly 
consolations, and to seek none on this earth; to 
feel only darkness in my understanding, only 
dryness in my will and troubles in my heart, 
and, nevertheless, to persevere fervently in 
prayer; to be assailed by temptations, and yet 
to lead a life of recollection and walk in Thy 
presence; to feel nothing but bitterness and uni- 
versal uprising of disorderly affections, and still 
to be meek, gentle and charitable towards my 
neighbor, is something very arduous. For so 
great an undertaking special graces are needed, 
and for these graces I turn to Thee, O dearest 
Lord ! 

Note. — In place of the Third Meditation of the day, one 
of the preceding Meditations is to be repeated. 



SEVENTH DAY. 

iHefcitatum 2. 

On the Bodily Sufferings of 
Jesus Christ while Hanging 
on the Cross. 



point I. 



We can never suffer in Our Bodies what 
Jesus has suffered in His Body. 

To understand something of the greatness of 
the pains which Christ felt we merely have to 
consider the circumstances. 

First circumstance. — The pains of Christ were 
in every part and in every member of the body. 
Look in imagination at His whole body. The 
hair and beard torn out; His countenance dis- 
figured; His eyes blood-shot; His cheeks swollen 
with blows; His mouth shrivelled; His head 
everywhere pierced with thorns; His hands and 
feet bored through with nails, and His flesh 
bruised and mangled all over. His whole body 
was but one continued wound ! Isaias speaks 
thus of the suffering of Jesus, " He hath borne 
our infirmities and carried our sorrows, and we 
have thought Him, as it were, a leper, and as 
one struck by God and afflicted" (Isaias liii. 4). 



144 The Truths of Salvation. 

Second circumstance. — The pains of Jesus were 
unspeakably cruel and incomparably greater than 
those ever suffered by any man. Why so ? First 
on account of the delicacy of His frame and the 
tenderness of His flesh. " The body of our Lord," 
says St. Bonaventure, " was more sensitive on the 
sole of His feet than others are in the pupil of the 
eye." Secondly. — The most sensitive parts of 
the body were most cruelly tortured. The thorns 
were so deeply forced into the head that they 
penetrated and pierced through the flesh and 
nerves. The nails were driven by violent strokes 
of the hammer through hands and feet. Fear- 
fully excruciating must have been the torment, 
as the whole weight of the body hung for three 
long hours from these nails. 

Third circumstance. — The pains of Jesus were 
without any, even the least, alleviation. He had 
been hanging on the Cross for two hours; all but 
a few drops of His blood was shed; His thirst 
was so burning that He cried out for relief by 
saying, "I thirst," and yet He was offered but 
vinegar and gall to increase His torment. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Thanksgiving". — I know not, O Jesus, what to 
think or say of this terrible scene. All this Thou 
hast suffered on account of my sins. Faith teaches 
this. Thy bloody sweat, being treated as a fool, 
Thy scourging and crowning with thorns, and 
Thy death on the Cross, all Thy sufferings, O 
Jesus, were for my sins. All possible thanks, 



On the Bodily Sufferings of Jesus Christ. 145 

my Saviour, for every drop of blood which Thou 
hast shed for me; for all the ignominy, outrages 
and insults which Thou hast suffered for my 
sake; for all the pains and torments which Thou 
hast endured on the Cross. 

Resolution. — But mere thanks are not suffi- 
cient. I must make Thee, O Jesus, a return for 
Thy love. Here is now my irrevocable offering: 
Thou foreknowest the pains, the troubles, and 
the infirmities of the body that are preordained 
for me. From this out I submit to all these 
preordinances, and beseech Thee to carry them 
out fully in my regard. Thou foreseest, O Jesus, 
when and by what death I am to leave this world; 
this appointment I humbly revere and accept. 
Order the way, the manner, the place of my death. 
One thing only I ask, and that daily, to die the 
death of the just. I will suffer and die through 
love of Thee, as Thou hast suffered and died 
through love for me. 



POINT II. 

Christ's Patience was as Wonderful as 
His Pains were Terrible. 

These circumstances will illustrate it fully: 
1st Circumstance. Jesus bore in silence all 
His pains. Holy Writ compares Christ to a 
meek lamb; for as it allows itself to be shorn or 
led to slaughter without resistance or cry, thus 
also Jesus allowed Himself to be tormented and 



146 The Truths of Salvation. 

led to death without a complaint. Jesus's whole 
body was fearfully mangled; He kept silence. 
Jesus was crowned with thorns; He kept silence. 
Jesus took the Cross on His shoulders and, 
though extremely weak, had to drag' it along; 
still He kept silence. His hands and feet were 
dug with nails; He kept silence. " He was as a 
dumb man not opening His mouth," says the 
prophet (Ps. xxxvii. 14). Thus Jesus acted under 
the most violent pains, and what do I do ? 

2d Circumstance. Jesus suffered the pains 
with meekness. There never has been one who 
had better reasons to feel indignant than Jesus 
on the Cross. He was hated by all. The hearts 
of all who stood around were known to Him. 
He saw in them only hatred and ill-will, and that 
they were delighted with His pains. He was 
mocked and insulted by the Pharisees and 
Scribes. "Vah!" said they, "Thou that destroy- 
est the temple of God, and in three days dost 
rebuild it, save Thy own self; if Thou be the 
Son of God come down from the Cross. He 
saved others, Himself He cannot save. If He 
be the king of Israel, let Him now come down 
from the Cross, and we will believe Him" (St. 
Matt, xxvii. 40-42). He suffers all with the most 
perfect resignation and with the most ardent 
love, so that He felt more keenly the perdition 
of His enemies than His own pains, for He said 
to the women, " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep 
not over Me, but weep for yourselves and for 
your children" (St. Luke xxiii. 28). 



On the Bodily Sufferings of Jesus Christ. 147 

3d Circumstance. Jesus suffered the pains 
with fortitude, and with the desire of suffering 
more. Jesus hangs on the Cross, His whole 
strength is exhausted, His pains have increased 
to the highest degree. Look into His heart and 
admire its fortitude. A two-fold love and a two- 
fold desire burn in it. He loved His Heavenly- 
Father, and desired to have more strength to 
suffer still more for Him. He also loved us with 
an infinite love, and therefore desired to live 
longer and to suffer still more for us. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Self-Confusion. — What confusion comes over 
me when I behold Thee, O Jesus, hanging on the 
Cross ! How hast Thou sinned, O revered head 
of my Redeemer, that Thou art pierced with so 
many sharp thorns ? How have you sinned, O 
beautiful eyes of my Saviour, that you are so 
clotted with blood ? What have you done omni- 
potent hands and feet, that you are so cruelly 
perforated with nails ? What hast Thou done, 
O most loving Heart, that Thou art pierced by 
the lance ? My sins lacerated Jesus's body, my 
sins nailed Him to the Cross, my sins caused His 
death. 

Acknowledgment and Resolution.— After 
my sins have done this I will suffer nothing, I 
will not even acknowledge that I have deserved 
to suffer; but, by the light of Thy grace, I come 
to know it now. There is no pain on earth 
which I have not deserved; there is no torment 



148 The Truths of Salvation. 






in Hell which I have not merited. All I have 
suffered, till now, is not enough to satisfy for one 
sin. How unjust then are my murmurs and 
complaints ! I always suffer less than I have 
deserved. Henceforth I submit wholly to Thy 
will, and I adore Thy appointments in the midst 
of my sufferings. 



flkbitation 3. 

On the Affronts and Outrages 
which Jesus Suffered. 



POINT I. 

There never has been One and never will 

there be one who suffered such affronts 

and Outrages as Jesus Christ. 

It is impossible to enumerate them all. Con- 
sider some of them, and they will suffice to fill 
you with confusion and to extinguish your 
pride. 

1st. False accusations. Without doubt nothing 
is harder for a noble soul to bear than crimes 
falsely imputed. Let us enter the courts of 
Annas and Caiphas and hear the crimes attrib- 
uted to Jesus. The witnesses are there, and 
what do they say ? O unheard-of blasphemy ! 
They say, He takes His repasts with notorious 
sinners. He is a man of intolerable pride and 
declares Himself to be God. He spreads impi- 



The Affronts and Outrages Jesus Suffered. 149 

ous doctrines and misleads the people. He 
works miracles by the help of Satan, and as a 
sorcerer He has secret dealings. Thus the false 
witnesses spoke of Jesus in the courts of the 
high-priests, thus they shouted before Pilate's 
tribunal, thus they cried out in the streets of 
Jerusalem. 

2d. The ridicule and mockery. — These impious 
men were not satisfied with accusing Jesus as 
a blasphemer, they also make Him out a fool. 
He stands before Herod's tribunal. He keeps 
silence. Therefore He must suffer affront. 
"You think too much of this man," said Herod. 
" He is a fool." At these words of the angry 
king Jesus was clothed in a fool's garment, and 
in this apparel He was led through the city 
amidst the insults and blasphemies of a mocking 
rabble. This was not the only affront, another 
followed in Pilate's court. The soldiers, insti- 
gated by the Jews who were in the crowd, made 
sport of our Lord, heaping upon Him indignities 
which Hell alone could suggest: they threw a tat- 
tered purple garment on His shoulders, they put 
a reed in His hand as sceptre, they pressed a 
crown of thorns on His head, they gave Him 
blows on the cheeks, they spat in His face, they 
bent their knees in derision before Him. Heaven 
was astonished at these insults, and the angelic 
choirs wept. The multitude joyfully looked on 
and by their sneers, laughter and joyful shouts, 
increased the pains of Jesus. 

3d. The iniquitous sentence of death. — Pilate 



150 The Truths of Salvation. 

led Jesus, whose innocence he well knew, before 
the people, and at the same time he also brought 
out Barabbas, and said, " Whom will you that I 
release to you, Barabbas or Jesus, that is called 
Christ?" Pilate believed that Jesus would be 
preferred; they however cried out with one voice, 
"Away with this man, release unto us Barabbas." 
Who was Barrabas? A seditious man and a 
murderer; for the Holy Scriptures tell us " that 
he was for a certain sedition and for a murder 
cast into prison." Then Pilate "released to them 
Barabbas, and delivered Jesus unto them to be 
crucified." This death was the most ignominious 
and the most infamous; He was crucified be- 
tween two robbers as if He was the most wicked. 
Jesus drags up the Cross to Calvary amid the 
scornful shouts and clamors of the high-priests, 
and the blasphemous derisions of the Pharisees 
and Scribes, amid the scoffing laughter and 
mockery of an innumerable people, to fulfil the 
words of the prophet, " I am a worm and no man: 
the reproach of men and the outcast of the peo- 
ple" (Ps. xxi. 7). 

Pause here and reflect. 1st. Did God the Fa- 
ther act unjustly in ordaining these outrages for 
His only begotten Son ? No ! Jesus took upon 
Himself our sins, and for these sins deserved all 
He suffered. 2d. Would God treat you in justly 
in appointing for you affronts and insults like 
unto those of His only begotten Son ? No ! Sin 
deserves it, and your conscience tells you that 
you have sinned. If you believe that sins deserve 



The Affronts and Outrages Jesus Suffered. 1 5 1 

such affronts and insults, what intolerable pride 
then is it not on your part to refuse to suffer 
through love for Jesus, since He, for the love of 
you, suffered outrages so cruel ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

Admiration of Jesus's Meekness. — O Jesus, 
dear Redeemer, how wonderful is Thy meekness 
and Thy humility ! Thou art the infinite wisdom 
which governs Heaven and earth, and Thou didst 
pass as a fool. Thou wast ridiculed as a mock- 
king. Thou art infinite sanctity from which all 
heavenly graces flow, and Thou wast deemed a 
hypocrite, a Samaritan and a sorcerer. How 
didst thou suffer these insults? Meekly, hum- 
bly and silently. Thou didst submit to all of them 
with the most perfect resignation and without 
the least resistance. I will also henceforward 
suffer and endure in silence. 

Self-confusion. — How detestable in Thy sight 
my pride must be ! I, one whose understanding 
is so blind, wish to be thought wise, while Jesus 
was clad in the garment of a fool and dragged 
through the streets amidst blasphemous shouts. 
I, whose heart is full of disorders, wish to be 
honored, while Jesus was accused of being a 
seducer and a blasphemer. I, who have not a 
particle of solid virtue, desire to be loved by all 
and to be preferred to others, while Jesus was 
thought less than a murderer. How hateful 
must this my pride be to Thee, O Jesus ! Have 
mercy on me and put into my mind other thoughts 
and into my will other affections. 



152 The Truths of Salvation. 



POINT II. 

There never has been One, and never will 
there be one, who suffered outrages and 
Insults in the Manner in which Christ 
suffered them. 

Speaking of this the royal prophet says, " He 
as a deaf man heard not, and was as a dumb man 
not opening His mouth" (Ps. xxxvii. 14). These 
words show us the depth of Chrises humility, 
and we may well be filled with wonder at His 
abasement. 

1st. Christ was innocent. A thought never 
arose in His mind, a word never came to His 
lips, no act appeared in His life which was in any 
way blamable. The crimes which were imputed 
to Him were fabricated. 

2d. Christ was omnipotent and infinitely wise. 
In an instant He could have crushed His enemies. 
Had He opened His lips His divine wisdom and 
eloquence would have put them to shame. 

3d. Christ was omniscient. He knew how 
His enemies would misconstrue His silence, and 
that they would not cease to persecute Him till 
He was condemned to the most ignominious of 
deaths. He knew that those nearest and dearest 
to Him, His blessed mother and Apostles, would 
have to suffer for it. He saw that on account of it 
His miracles would be derided, His doctrine con- 
demned, and His new Church most cruelly perse- 
cuted. All these reasons could not move Jesus 



rhe Affronts and Outrages Jesus Suffered. 153 

to speak in His own defence. He kept silence, 
and He kept silence up to His last breath. What 
wonderful silence is this, O Jesus ! What a pro- 
found lesson it inculcates ! But, alas ! how few 
are there who profit thereby ! Where are the 
souls that, amidst contumely and affronts, keep 
silence with Jesus ? They comply with every- 
thing else; they pray, they meditate, they mor- 
tify themselves; but to submit without complaint 
to unreasonable demands, to keep silence when 
ill treated, to love ignominy and humiliations, 
this is a burden w T hich few shoulders can bear. 
Unless we follow Jesus, who is the only way to 
sanctity, we shall always remain little in His 
eyes, always contemptible, always hopeless of 
arriving at perfection. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Esteem and Love of Contempt. — How far 

above the wisdom of the world is Thy doc- 
trine, O Jesus ! In contempt and ignominy 
Thou seest all that is beautiful, all that is lovely. 
Hadst Thou spoken, Thou wouldst have had as 
much honor as Thou hadst insults; but Thou 
didst not long for honor but for outrages. I 
will then henceforth have the same thoughts as 
Thou hadst, love what Thou didst love, and re- 
gard contempt as a means of crushing my great- 
est enemy, pride, and of introducing Jesus into 
my heart. 

Compunction and Resolution. — What sacri- 
fice can there be more pleasing to Thy Divine 



154 1 he Truths of Salvation. 

Majesty than that of sacrificing my honor and ox 
bearing contempt in silence? The period of my 
life the richest in merit was not that in which I 
felt tender devotion towards God, but that when 
my best actions were criticised and blamed, and 
when I was most despised and insulted. I have 
then been deceived, O Jesus! I was troubled and 
became sad when I should have rejoiced; I fled 
from that which I should have sought; I mur- 
mured when I should have assented. Henceforth 
I will do as Thou didst do when the hour of 
Thy ignominy came. Thou didst then say, 
"that the wofid may know that I love the 
Father, arise, let us go hence ,, (St. John xiv. 31). 
This I will also say when contempt comes on 
me: that Heaven and earth may know that I love 
Jesus, let us arise and joyfully embrace con- 
tempt. 



mutation 4. 

On the Love which Christ on 
the Cross has shown for His 
Enemies. 

POINT I. 

The Love of Jesus was Wonderful on Ac- 
count of the Circumstances and of the 
Hatred and Rage of His Enemies. 

Jesus hangs on the Cross; His whole body is 
one wound; the pains are inconceivable. From 



The Love of Christ for his Enemies. 155 

Him turn your eyes to those who surrounded 
Him in thousands, young and old, of every class 
and condition, Jews and Pagans, Pharisees and 
Scribes, the ancients of the people and high- 
priests. Few there were who took pity on Jesus; 
all hated and persecuted Him. Consider now 
the circumstances of this hatred and persecu- 
tion. 

The first was, the joy of His enemies. Jesus 
was not a mere man, but a Man-God, before 
whom all the hearts of those present lay open. 
He knew their thoughts; He read their malice; 
He saw their ill will while they shouted with joy 
at beholding Him on the Cross. They kept say- 
ing, This impostor deserved no better death; 
they rejoiced at His torments, and anxiously de- 
sired that His name might be forever blotted 
out. All this Jesus saw, and saw it in those for 
whose love He came down from Heaven, for 
whose sake He wrought so many miracles, for 
whose salvation He gave up His life on the 
Cross. 

The second was the scorn and the derision of 
His enemies. We feel compassion for the most 
wicked man in his death-struggle, we even pity 
murderers on the scaffold, an universal silence 
reigns, sympathy shows itself on the countenance 
of the spectators. Quite otherwise was it with 
Jesus. The more excessive His pains and tor- 
ments on the Cross, the more unrestrained was 
the scorn of His enemies. Vah ! some said, 
Thou hast boasted to be able to destroy the 



1 56 The Truths of Salvation. 

temple of God, and in three days to build it up 
again; show now Thy power and save Thy own 
self. Vah ! said others, He always trusted in 
God; let Him come now and deliver Him, if He 
will have Him, for He said, I am the Son of 
God. "Vah!" said the high-priests, "He saved 
others, Himself He cannot save. If He be the 
king of Israel, let Him now come down from the 
Cross, and we will believe Him" (Matt, xxvii. 

39)- 

The third was the obstinacy of His enemies. 
Jesus bore His pains with infinite patience. He 
forgave His enemies and prayed for them to God, 
His Father, with wonderful meekness. All na- 
ture proclaimed His innocence and mourned. 
The sun was darkened, the earth trembled, the 
rocks split. All this the Jews saw, but did not 
cease to persecute Jesus. They blasphemed, 
mocked and cursed Him, and did so till His last 
breath. It would have been a great consolation 
for Him to foresee that, at least after His death, 
their hatred would discontinue; but no ! He 
foreknew that they would laugh to scorn the 
miracles of the new law, that they would perse- 
cute the Apostles who announced the Gospel, 
that this stubbornness would last till their death, 
and that they would blaspheme Him in Hell 
forever. How hard, then, was it not, to love, 
these impious and accursed men ? Behold on 
Mount Calvary the multitude of wicked priests 
who rejoiced that they had brought Jesus to 
an ignominious death, of wicked Pharisees who 



The Love of Christ for his Enemies. 157 

gathered together only for the purpose of insult- 
ing Him in His pains, of wicked executioners 
who nailed Him to the Cross. Has the world 
ever seen men more deserving of hatred than 
these ? Now turn your eyes to the Cross, and 
see Jesus like an innocent lamb about to be 
slaughtered. Heaven admires His meekness. 
He prayed that the blood which He was shed- 
ding might bring salvation to His crucifiers. 
Consider now the persons whom you suppose it 
is hard to love. Are they false witnesses, who 
accuse you in the criminal courts ? Are they 
inhuman beings, who have nothing to offer you 
in your weakness but vinegar and gall ? Are 
they bloodthirsty mortals, who wish to nail you 
like Jesus on the Cross ? No ! They are per- 
sons whose countenances are sometimes unkind, 
and who sometimes speak roughly to you. It 
cannot be very hard to love these your enemies, 
since Jesus has loved His. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Self-abasement. — No injuries could lessen 
Thy love, O Jesus ! There were before Thee 
those who for years most malignantly hated 
Thee, those who detested Thee as the most 
wicked of men, those who ridiculed and mocked 
Thee in Thy most excruciating torments; still 
Thy love could not be abated, and no murmur 
dropped from Thy lips, no vengeance dwelt in 
Thy heart, but of all Thy enemies there was not 
one for whose salvation Thou didst not offer Thy 



158 The Truths of Salvation. 

blood, so great and generous was Thy love. 
And how is mine ? Alas ! It is not a love which 
deserves the name. An unfriendly look, an un- 
kind word, a trifling offence, suffice to weaken it 
or to extinguish it entirely. 

Contrition. — Then I am without love; I 
whom Jesus had chosen out of so many thou- 
sands to follow Him; I who willingly secluded 
myself from the whole world and chose Thee 
for my spouse; I who have meditated daily on 
Thy example, and after so many years of re- 
ligious life, after so many graces and heavenly 
lights, after so many means and occasions to 
practise love, lam without love. 



POINT II. 

The Love of Jesus was Wonderful on Ac- 
count of the Circumstances of His Love. 

The first circumstance was the time when 
Christ prayed for His enemies. 

Jesus on the Cross had to speak to His Hea- 
venly Father to commend Him His spirit. He 
had to speak to his beloved mother, to give her 
over to the care of His dear disciple, St. John. 
He had to speak in His extreme thirst to His 
crucifiers. He spoke to none of these. The 
first words which He uttered were for his ene- 
mies: " Father, forgive them." 

The second was that the malice of His enemies 
continued, notwithstanding His ardent love for 
them. 



The Love of Christ for his Enemies. 159 

Jesus might have waited till His enemies would 
have acknowledged their guilt and humbly asked 
pardon. Ah ! Jesus would have done so had His 
love been like yours. I love and I pardon them, 
said Jesus, while I hear their mockeries; this 
very moment, while I have to bear their insults, 
w T hile I actually feel their rage and fury, I par- 
don them. I offer up My blood for them. 

The third was the excuse which Jesus made 
in His prayers. 

The Jews had committed the most horrible 
crime against Jesus. The miracles which they 
saw, His innocence, which even Pilate acknowl- 
edged, the accusations which they forged, proved 
their crime. But what were the words of Jesus's 
prayer ? " Father, forgive them, for they know 
not what they do." As if He said, " O Father, 
I do not say they have not sinned, but their 
malice is not so great; it is ignorance on their 
part; had they known Me, they would never have 
treated Me thus. Pardon them, therefore, as I 
pardon them; love them as I love them." How 
wonderful was this love of Jesus for His enemies! 
Gaze on Jesus on the Cross, and learn from Him 
to love as He loved. What was there in His 
enemies to make Him love them ? Human na- 
ture, which from childhood is always prone to 
evil. He, therefore, loved them and had com- 
passion on them. He saw in them a soul He had 
created to His own image and called to everlast- 
ing bliss. He desired, therefore, that this noble 
creation of His should not be deprived of eternal 



160 The Truths of Salvation. 

happiness. In their treatment of Him, He saw 
the will of His Heavenly Father. For this rea- 
son He loved them, and willingly accepted all 
the sufferings which they inflicted on Him. 
Lastly, He saw the multitude of sins which He 
had taken upon Himself, and which the Divine 
Justice through His enemies was punishing in 
Him. He loved them, therefore, and offered for 
them this beautiful prayer. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Compunction. — I now see, O Jesus, the reason 
why it has been so difficult for me to love those 
who have offended me. Had I always regarded 
them as instruments by which the Divine Justice 
was punishing my sins, how many acts of per- 
fect love would I have already practised ! My 
heart would now be more like unto Thine, O 
Jesus ! My confusion allows me neither to speak 
nor to look up to Thee. I confess my guilt, and 
humbly ask Thy pardon. Alas ! O Jesus, I have 
often meditated on the lofty example of Thy 
love, I have often admired it, but I have never 
imitated it. 

Resolution and Supplication. — What then 
shall I do henceforth, O Jesus? Through Thy 
grace I now have different sentiments. I have 
again made a different resolution. I have a dif- 
ferent will. I shall with all my heart love those 
who have offended me. I shall meekly and si- 
lently beai with their faults. Thus Thou, O 
Jesus, hast loved, and thus must I also love. 



The Love of Christ for his Enemies. 161 

Thou art the only teacher of true love. I entreat 
Thee, therefore, by the wonderful meekness with 
which Thou hast pardoned Thy enemies, by the 
endearing and affectionate prayer which Thou 
didst offer for them, and by the precious Blood 
which Thou didst shed for them, to give me a 
love which embraces all mankind on account of 
Thee, and to bear all that Thou sendest me 
through others for my salvation. 

END OF THE THIRD WEEK. 

The soul is beginning to be prepared for union 
with God. We have now arrived at the impor- 
tant time on which everything in spiritual life 
depends. We must come to the determination 
to follow closely Jesus Christ, and to bear with 
Him in silence interior dereliction and desolation, 
bodily sufferings, abuse and calumny, hatred 
persecution. The one who has not the cour- 
age to walk in this way shall never find God, 
much less arrive at His pure and perfect love. 
Consider, therefore, attentively the following 
truths, and resolve at last to walk this road 
with your crucified Redeemer, and to persevere 
in it as long as it pleases His Divine Majesty. 

First Truth. — The way of suffering is the royal 
road to sanctity. The end for which the only 
begotten of the Father came on earth was two- 
fold. The first was, to offer for our sins a sacrifice 
worthy of the infinite majesty of God. The 
second was, to be for us the model of the highest 



1 62 The Truths of Salvation. 

sanctity. To gain this two-fold end Jesus chose 
the way of suffering, which, beginning at the crib 
in Bethlehem, continued to His last breath on 
the Cross. 

Second Truth. — The way of suffering is most 
profitable. There are two things which God re- 
quires of a soul before admitting it to union with 
Himself, entire purity of heart, and perfect 
virtue. The way of suffering is the most suitable 
for this purpose. Purity of heart is acquired by 
suffering in a very short time, for in it the soul 
finds nothing to give it delight save God alone, 
and the accomplishment of His holy will. It 
learns, therefore, to withdraw itself by degrees 
from creatures, to despise all earthly consolations, 
and centre all its affection on the supreme good; 
consequently the way of suffering is best adapted 
to the acquirement of perfect virtue. 

Third Truth. — The w r ay of suffering is the 
safest road to sanctity. Consolations have de- 
ceived many; suffering has deceived no one. 
Souls there were that were favored w T ith hea- 
venly lights and seemed to lead holy lives; but as 
they were not grounded in humility and other 
virtues, all these extraordinary graces came to 
naught. This the " Following of Christ" illus- 
trates: " Some have ruined themselves upon oc- 
casion of grace of devotion. They became needy 
and were left in a wretched condition, who had 
built themselves a nest in Heaven, to the end 
that, being thus humbled and impoverished, they 
might learn not to trust to their own wings, but to 



The Love of Christ for his Enemies. 163 

hide themselves under Mine" (iii. B., Chap, vii., 
2). But those who walk in the way of suffering 
have nothing of this sort to fear. 

Having well pondered on these truths, con- 
sider now the exercises of the way of suffering. 

First Exercise. To imprint deeply on your soul 
by frequent meditation certain maxims to en- 
courage you in the time of suffering. These 
maxims are: I can never suffer as much as I 
ought for God. I merit by suffering an infinite 
good. I can never suffer as much as Jesus Christ 
suffered through love for me. I can never suffer 
as much as I have deserved for my sins. 

Second Exercise. To silently bear the petty 
adversities which daily occur. 

1st. Whenever you have to suffer, reflect on 
one of the above maxims. 2d. With pure inten- 
tion offer up what you have to suffer to God. 
3d. Speak not of your suffering to any one. 

Third Exercise. To offer yourself up to God 
as a holocaust as long as the suffering lasts. For 
this purpose be always perfectly resigned to the 
Divine will; throughout the day renew this act of 
submission. Patiently await the time which God 
has ordained for your deliverance. These are the 
virtues in the practice of which the true imita- 
tion of Christ consists. I know you have re- 
solved to acquire them. Offer them yourself to 
your crucified Lord in the following manner: 
Joy itself is sorrowful unto death. Innocence 
itself is pronounced guilty. God hangs on the 
Cross between two robbers; and all this Thou 



164 The TrutJis of Salvation. 

didst suffer for me; for me the blood streams 
from Thy sacred wounds; for me Thou didst 
undergo all the tortures of Thy bitter death. 
Yet, O Jesus, I do not love Thee. What is the 
reason of this ? I love myself too much; I do not 
wish to do violence to myself; I cannot bear to 
suffer. Shall I never die to myself ? I have de- 
served to live in everlasting flames, and I cannot 
stand the least adversity. I have deserved to 
live in endless despair, and I cannot endure in- 
terior dereliction and aridity. I have deserved 
to be forever rejected and abhorred by all crea- 
tures, and I cannot suffer the least contempt. I 
have deserved to dwell eternally among repro- 
bates and demons, and I cannot put up with the 
slightest faults of my neighbor. From this day 
out I promise to endeavor to resemble Thee, O 
Jesus ! I will henceforth walk boldly in Thy 
footsteps. Only by dying with Thee can I live 
with Thee. 



THE FOURTH WEEK. 
The Unitive Way. 

This day comprises the fourth week of the 
spiritual exercises. On the first day we medi- 
tated on our last end and resolved to seek it, cost 
what it might. To gain this end three things are 
necessary: 

ist. To bewail our sins, extirpate our evil in- 
clinations, and keep our hearts pure and unsul- 
lied. This was the first week's task. 

2d. To follow Christ and strenuously endeavor 
to acquire the virtues which His doctrine and ex- 
ample point out. This was the second week's 
work. 

3d. To love suffering and contempt. No 
one can attain to virtues without overcoming 
great difficulties and entirely dying to one's self; 
for this reason we meditated on the sufferings 
and death of Christ, and resolved to follow Him 
closely. This was the duty of the third week. 

When the soul dies entirely to self, it attains to 
the perfect love of God, in which our end on 
earth consists. Consequently, to-day we begin 
by the meditation on the Resurrection of our 
Lord; that by considering so great a happiness, 
we may despise earth and all earthly things, 
renew the resolutions which we made, and be- 
come thereby fit to enter into close friendship 
and union with God. 



1 66 The Truths of Salvation. 



EIGHTH DAY. 

JUrirttaticm 1. 

On the Resurrection of Jesus 
Christ. 



POINT I. 



The Happiness of His Resurrection was as 
Great as the Bitterness of His Suffering 
was Terrible. 

Christ's sufferings were of four kinds: excru- 
ciating pains in His sacred body, extreme sad- 
ness in His soul, insults and outrages on His 
honor, and the inveterate hatred of His enemies. 
Let us now consider what wonderful happiness 
arises thence. 

ist. Jesus rose with a dazzling beauty of body. 
To understand this somewhat, reflect on these 
two points: The glorified body of an elect is of 
such transcendent beauty that it would enlighten 
the earth more than the sun in its midday bright- 
ness. And were the beauty of all the elect in- 
fused into one body, this united beauty would 
be naught compared to that of Jesus Christ's 
body. And yet this is the same body which a 



On the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 167 

few days ago was frightfully disfigured, and 
cruelly maltreated. 

2d. Jesus rose with inconceivable joy in His 
soul. Were the bitterness of His soul's suffering 
poured into as many hearts as there were on 
earth, all hearts would have been broken with 
grief. In like manner should the joy, which His 
blessed soul felt, be poured into the hearts of all 
who have ever been on earth, its great sweetness 
would take away the life of all. 

3d. Jesus rose with infinite glory to His honor. 
Angels descended from Heaven to witness the 
triumph of His resurrection. Jesus is now their 
King. He is the joy. of the patriarchs, all adore 
and bless Him as their Redeemer. He is the 
Judge of the living and the dead, before whom, 
one day, all the nations of the earth shall 
appear and either willingly or unwillingly pay 
homage to His glory. He is the head of the 
elect; they praise Him forever. Jesus is all this 
to-day; the Jesus whom Herod derided as a fool; 
the Jesus whom the soldiers insulted as a mock- 
king; the Jesus who was nailed on the Cross as 
a malefactor. 

4th. Jesus rose with the fruition of universal 
love. I say nothing of the love with which on 
the day of the Resurrection the angelic choirs 
were inflamed, and nothing of the love of the 
holy patriarchs. I speak only of the love with 
which all the elect shall always burn, for they 
will praise and love Him forever. 



1 68 The Truths of Salvation. 

AFFECTIONS. 

Rejoicing at the Glory of Jesus Christ.— 

Now the hour of suffering is past, O Jesus, the 
day of joy has come. Thy sacred body shines 
more brightly than the sun, and is the delight 
of Heaven. Thy soul is inebriated with joys. 
Thy honor is exalted. Thy name magnified in 
Heaven and on earth. Thou art the centre of 
the elect which those who are on earth in- 
cessantly and ardently seek. I rejoice at this 
glory and at this happiness. I congratulate 
Thee on this bliss. 

A Desire of the Same Happiness. — Oh, what 
happiness shall it be for me to rise one day in a 
similar manner ! Who can describe what it is 
to see Thy most beautiful countenance, O Jesus ; 
to hear from Thy lips words of love; to love 
Thee and to be loved by Thee, and always to be 
with Thee ? O happy day ! I ardently long 
for thee, O Paradise, and yet how little do I do 
to obtain thy eternal happiness ! 



POINT II. 

Holy Thoughts and Resolutions that arise 
from the Meditation on the Resurrection. 

First Thought. — As Christ rose gloriously 
from the dead, so one day you shall rise glori- 
ously if you follow Him. " Know God hath 
raised up the Lord, and will raise us up also by 
His power" (i Cor. vi. 14). 






On the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 169 

Second Thought. — As Jesus by His Cross and 
suffering obtained the glory of the Resurrection, 
so you cannot have a like glory otherwise than 
by crosses and suffering. This same Apostle 
likewise teaches, " Be mindful that the Lord 
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. A faithful 
saying: If we be dead with Him, we shall live 
also with Him; if we suffer, we shall also reign 
with Him" (2 Tim. ii. 8, 11, 12). What will you 
think of the afflictions and sorrows of life when 
this beautiful day shall dawn ? O, blessed 
crosses ! will you say, blessed tribulations and 
blessed contempt that have procured for me this 
glory ! 

Third Thought. — The more like to Jesus in suf- 
ering you shall be the more like to Him will you 
be in the resurrection. Hear once more the Apos- 
tle: " Knowing that as you are partakers of the 
sufferings, so shall you also be of the consola- 
tion" (2 Cor. i. 7). Mark well these words "as," 
"so;" they mean, the greater the pains you suffer 
with Jesus the greater the joys of your res- 
urrection. The more insults and outrages you 
undergo on earth with Jesus the greater will 
be the glory of your resurrection. Are not then 
pains, insults and outrages the most efficacious 
means to sanctity and the sweet pledge of your 
future resurrection ? And you feel miserable 
and think yourself unhappy when they befall 
you. How blind you are ! Should you not then 
raise your hands and eyes to Heaven and thank 
God ? Who are they who despise you and are 



1 70 The Truths of Salvation. 

the cause of your grief and adversity ? Are 
they not those through whom God fulfils His 
merciful designs; those who make you conform- 
able to your crucified Lord; those who increase 
your glory in Heaven — in short, are they not 
your best friends ? 

AFFECTIONS. 

An Act of Faith. — Jesus has risen from the 
dead. He now enters into His glory, and enjoys 
in soul and body uninterrupted bliss. This I be- 
lieve, and moreover if I follow Jesus I shall also 
rise triumphantly from the dead, enter the hea- 
venly mansions, and live -forever in glory. There 
I shall receive the reward of all my sufferings: 
for a momentary pain, eternal happiness; for 
one insult, eternal honor; for a brief moment of 
sadness, eternal joy. 

Compunction. — True it is that God recom- 
penses each humiliation, insult and contempt 
with a crown of glory. I have forfeited by my 
pride and vanity many thousands of these 
crowns. True also that for each interior deso- 
lation God bestows a special degree of happi- 
ness. How many degrees have I lost by my 
cowardice and tepidity ? 

On the Love of God. 

God's infinite goodness towards us, and His 
infinite goodness in Himself attract us power- 
fully to the love of Him. 






God is Infinitely Good towards us. 171 



fUeirttation 2. 

God is Infinitely Good towards 

us. 



POINT I. 



God Deserves to be Loved on Account of 
His being Infinitely Good to Us here on 
Earth. 

1st. As God, being eternal, had no beginning, 
His paternal affection for us had no beginning 
either, being from all eternity. " Let us, there- 
fore, love God, because God first hath loved us " 
(1 John iv. 19). 

For us He created Heaven and earth; the 
earth as a dwelling-place for our present transi- 
tory life, and Heaven as an abode for our 
future eternal life. He has loved and has loved 
us so ardently that for our salvation He shed 
on the Cross His blood even to the last drop. 
Throughout eternity there has not been an in- 
stant in which He has not thought of us, in 
which He was not determined to die for us, to 
make us participate in all His glory and in all 
His felicity. 

2d. Let us call to mind the many graces God 
has conferred on us. We need only consider 
the mystery of the Incarnation; it will suffice to 
prove how liberal God was to us. A servant of a 



172 The Truths of Salvation. 

mighty sovereign had stolen from his master a 
hundred thousand dollars. He was convicted 
and condemned to prison for life unless some 
one would reimburse the stolen money. A gen- 
erous man who had but this precise sum paid 
the whole amount and set the prisoner free; 
but by this act of charity he became poor and 
had to earn his bread by the sweat of his 
brow. What wonderful love was not this ? 
When, pray, did this happen ? Who was the 
miserable prisoner, and who the merciful deliv- 
erer ? Let us briefly reflect, and we shall have 
the answer. 

3d. Let us suppose we see Hell opened, and 
many millions of reprobate souls in the midst 
of the devouring flames. Christ descends from 
Heaven and frees one of these damned souls, and 
reunites it with its body, granting it time for 
penance. How astonishing would be this act 
of mercy ! This reprobate deserved Hell more 
than the others. What special love must Jesus 
have for this soul ! This is our own case. Thou- 
sands in Hell have committed fewer sins than 
we; they have not abused as many graces as we; 
they have not remained tepid as long as we; 
nevertheless they are lost, and lost forever, and 
we live and enjoy graces in abundance. May 
we not say of ourselves what the Jews said when 
they saw Jesus weeping over Lazarus, " Behold 
how He loved him" (St. John xi. 36). 



God is Infinitely Good towards us, 173 



AFFECTIONS. 

Admiration of the Love of God. — Nothing 
astonishes me more than Thy love for me, O 
merciful Redeemer! Thou lovest me and hast 
loved me with an eternal love. "Yea, I have 
loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore 
have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee" (Jer. xxxi. 
3). Thou lovest me with an unbounded love, 
and to what did this love bring Thee ? Thcu 
didst become a little child, Thou didst lead a 
painful life on earth, finally Thou didst die an 
ignominious death on the Cross. Thou didst 
love me with a patient love. I have committed 
a multitude of sins, I have abused so many 
means, and all this could not lessen Thy love. 
Thou lovest me yet, and Thou lovest me with a 
love as tender and affectionate as if I had never 
offended Thee. I should then love Thee, O 
Lord, my God, with my whole heart, and with 
my whole soul, and with my whole strength 
(Deut. vi. 5). For Thou deservest that I should 
love Thee with an infinite love, if I could. 

Compunction and an Act of Love. — How 
ungrateful then have I been in not loving Thee, 

God, with my whole heart ! My Father ! My 
all ! I had a liking for any one who rendered 
me a slight service, and I have not loved Thee 
who gave me all that I have and all that I am. 

1 was fond of the person who spoke kindly to 
me and did nothing else, and I have not loved 
God who died for me. Thou hast conquered 



174 Tlie Truths**of Salvation 

me at last, O Jesus ! I am thine, exclusively 
Thine, and Thine forever. I will henceforth 
love Thee and Thee alone, and love Thee the 
more ardently the later I begin. 



POINT II. 

God Deserves to be Loved on Account of 
His being Infinitely Good to Us Here- 
after. 

What does God intend to give us in the next 
world ? Himself. O incomprehensible Good- 
ness ! What does this mean ? 

ist. To possess God means to arrive at the 
goal of all our desires. As soon as the soul 
leaves the body, it clearly sees by Divine light 
that God alone is its sovereign Good and its 
greatest felicity. From this light arises a vehe- 
ment longing to enjoy this supreme Good. God 
satisfies the desire and unites intimately to Him- 
self the soul that has been faithful to Him, so 
that it is inebriated with unspeakable delights. 

2d. To possess God means to see and love 
God. Throughout eternity the soul shall see in 
Him new wonders of His Omnipotence, His 
Goodness, His Beauty, and of all His other per- 
fections; so that it will be ravished and eternally 
transported with delicious sweetness, and forever 
feel fresh ecstasies of love. 

3d. To possess God means to possess infinite 
happiness. The happiness we shall enjoy in 
Heaven is no other than that of God Himself. 



God is Infinitely Good, towards us. 175 

We shall taste the very joys, delights, sweetness 
which God Himself has. How great will be 
this happiness ! One degree of it would be suf- 
ficient to make the reprobate forget their pres- 
ent pains. 

4th. To possess God means to be loved by 
God with infinite tenderness. He never regards 
the soul otherwise than as a child that He loves 
tenderly; as a vessel of predilection into which 
He desires to pour out all the treasures of His 
bounty; as a spouse in whom He takes infinite 
complacency. As He is infinite Power, which 
immeasurably surpasses all human power, so He 
is infinite Love, which infinitely exceeds all en- 
dearments of human love. 

5th. To possess God means to be happy as 
long as God is happy. What is the happiness of 
God ? A happiness without end, without inter- 
ruption, and without diminution. All these at- 
tributes your happiness will have. It will be a 
happiness without end. As long as eternity 
lasts, so long shall it last. It shall be a happi- 
ness without interruption. For as He is infinite 
Beauty, there will always remain an infinite 
variety which you have not yet seen; as He is 
an infinite Goodness, there always remains an 
infinite ocean into which you have not yet 
plunged. It shall be eternal happiness without 
diminution. 

AFFECTIONS. 

An Act of Love. — My only and sovereign 
Good, my God, how blind have I been ! What 



1 76 The Truths of Salvation. 

can I do to make a return for such astonishing 
love ? Behold me, my God, prostrate before 
Thee, I offer Thee my heart. I love Thee, and I 
love Thee with my whole soul, with my whole 
mind, and with all my strength. I hate and de- 
test all affections and inclinations which are not 
for Thee. As long as I live I will always prefer 
Thy honor, Thy will and Thy pleasure to every 
worldly satisfaction and worldly interest. 

Desire to Love God Perfectly.— Should I 
love Thee as I have resolved, what would be this 
love compared to Thine ! Did I possess all the 
love of the Elect, I might have something to re- 
pay Thy love. O my God and my Lord, have 
mercy on me ! Show forth this hour Thy omni- 
potent power by completely changing my heart. 
I ask and desire nothing else but Thy love ! 



fUeiritation 3. 

God is Infinitely Good in Him- 
self. 



POINT I. 



God Deserves to be Loved because He is 
the Supreme Good. 

On this foundation the perfect love of God is 
based. We must love God because He is the 
sovereign Good, and deserves, on account of 



God is Infinitely Good in Himself. 177 

Himself alone, infinite love. What do these 
words God is the supreme Good mean ? They 
mean that God is a Being who has all perfec- 
tions; a Being who has them in an infinite de- 
gree; a Being who possesses and enjoys them of 
Himself. In order that we may form an idea of 
God as far as it is possible on earth, we have 
merely to contemplate a few of these perfections. 

Notwithstanding our most vivid representa- 
tions of God's goodness in Himself, it will be as 
incomprehensible for us as the course of the 
stars to a child. 

1st. God is Infinite Beauty. 

(1.) The Blessed Virgin beholds the beauty of 
God more than all angels and saints together; 
and for this reason her glory, joy and happiness 
are greater than theirs combined. Let us sup- 
pose God begins this instant to illuminate her 
mind, and permits her to see twice as much of 
His beauty as she has seen until now; the suc- 
ceeding moment He imparts to her a new light, 
that she may see twice as much of His beauty as 
she had seen at the first moment; and God con- 
tinues so for a thousand years, for a hundred 
million of years. Will the Blessed Virgin then 
see the whole beauty of God ? No, there will 
remain of it as much as there is water in all the 
oceans of the world after one drop has been 
taken out. 

(2.) The number of the angels is many thou- 
sand millions, and the least among them has a 
beauty such that no mortal could behold it with- 



178 The Truths of Salvation. 

out dying of joy. Let us now imagine God to cre- 
ate an angel who unites in himself the beauty of 
all of them. How dazzling would be his beauty ! 
But still it would be infinitely less than the beauty 
of God. 

2d. God is an Infinite and Almighty Power. 
All the men who ever were and ever shall be on the 
earth till the last day amount to many hundred 
thousand millions. What an immense multi- 
tude ! On the last day the trumpet of the arch- 
angel will sound in the four corners of the earth. 
" In a twinkling of an eye" the bodies of all de- 
parted human beings will arise. The souls that 
animated these bodies shall return into them, 
and these many hundred thousand millions shall 
thus revive at these few words, "Arise, ye 
dead." 

3d. God is Infinite Love. 

God's infinite love is proved: 

(1.) By His bearing with sinners so patiently. 
He sees them committing the greatest crimes 
every day, every hour, every instant, murders of 
every sort, blasphemies, perjuries, sins that cry to 
Heaven for vengeance, and sins that bring mor- 
tals to the level with or even below brutes. And 
what does God do? He preserves their lives, 
and lavishes on them every day new benefits. 
And as if he stood in need of them, He, by His 
enlightenment and by His grace is constantly 
inciting them to " cease to do perversely, and to 
learn to do w r ell," (Isa. i. 16, 17). 

(2.) By receiving sinners so magnanimously. 



God is Infinitely Good in Himself. 179 

Let us represent to ourselves a person a hun- 
dred years old, who has never thought of God 
during his whole life, never spoken of Him, but 
to blaspheme Him, never done anything for God 
but to offend Him. Can he still have any hope 
of pardon ? Hear and be astonished, ye heavens! 
This impious wretch in the agony of death says, 
"OGod, infinitely good, I confide in Thy infinite 
mercy; I am heartily sorry for all my offences, 
and humbly ask Thy pardon." The pardon 
shall be instantly granted. " Neither the mag- 
nitude of your sin," says St. Cyprian, " the brevity 
of your remaining term of life, nor the extreme 
need of your last moments, can exclude you from 
the friendship of God. His infinite love and 
compassion embrace all who return to Him." 

(3.) By rewarding the just so munificently. 
Here is this poor miserable human being, who 
during a whole life has done naught of good, 
save this single act of true repentance. What 
reward will God give Him ? The possession of 
Heaven and the vision and enjoyment of His 
infinite beauty forever and ever. "He shall set 
him over all that He possesses." 

AFFECTIONS. 

Confusion and Astonishment. — O my God, 
Thou art a Good that possesses all perfections in 
an infinite degree, a Good that deserves to be 
loved with an infinite love. This I admit, this 
I believe. How comes it, then, that my heart is 
cold, insensible and unmoved ? I even hate what 



180 The Truths of Salvation. 

might infuse into it something akin to love. I 
acknowledge and see my misery. O Lord God, 
how long shall I be poor and miserable ? 

Resolution and Compunction. — I only be- 
gin to love Thee when I die perfectly to myself, 
and to all created things. I therefore now abom- 
inate all the sentiments, all the affections, all the 
words, and all the works of my life which were 
not for Thee. Thy love shall henceforth be the 
object of my thoughts, the aim of my desires, 
and the motive of my works. But, O my God, 
though this resolution is sincere, I cannot carry 
it out without Thy strengthening grace. Cast, 
therefore, Thy merciful eyes on me. Remember 
that Thou didst create me merely that I might 
love Thee; remember that Thou didst shed Thy 
blood for me that I might be inflamed with Thy 
love. Destroy in my heart everything that op- 
poses this love, and kindle therein its flames. 



POINT II. 

God Deserves to be Loved, because He is 
the Only Good. 

Neither in Heaven nor on earth, neither in angel 
nor in man, nor in any created being, does there 
exist anything which does not proceed from God. 
Survey the universe and all it contains: the dif- 
ferent kinds of trees, fruits, flowers, and plants ; 
the beasts on the earth, the birds in the air, the 
fishes in the seas. From the earth raise your 
eyes to Heaven: contemplate the wonders which 



God is Infinitely Good in Himself. 181 

are there; see the sun whose rays dispense light 
and heat; the course of the stars, and far above 
them the everlasting home of the Elect. From 
these irrational creatures turn to mankind and 
consider the various gifts with which they are 
adorned, their diverse qualities, natural and su- 
pernatural. Afterwards behold in imagination 
the angelic spirits and their companions in glory, 
the Saints. View with wonder their heroic acts, 
their merits, their sanctity, their glory, their 
magnificence and their happiness. Then say to 
yourself: 

(i.) Where were these countless millions of 
the noblest creatures a few thousand years ago ? 
They were all in the abyss of nothingness, and 
they would have remained there had not God in 
His infinite bounty and omnipotence drawn them 
thence. All their beauty, their sanctity, and 
their goodness is only a ray which issued from 
the source of all good, God. Thus faith teaches. 
This we believe, and therefore should be con- 
vinced that God deserves to be infinitely loved. 
Reason tells us this. Whatever is good deserves 
to be loved in proportion to its goodness. God 
is an infinite good, therefore He deserves to be 
infinitely loved. Hence I may infer that if I do 
not love God with all the powers of my soul, I 
d© not love Him as I ought, and I act contrary 
to my obligation if I admit an affection which 
is not for Him, if I perform a work which is not 
according to His will, and if I do not carry out 
the designs of His Fatherly providence. 



1 82 The Truths of Salvation, 



AFFECTIONS. 

Confusion. — O my God, I acknowledge and 
see what Thou deservest, and in what true love 
consists. A soul that burns with Thy love gives 
up all attachments to creatures, and tolerates not 
a single*affection which proceeds not from Thee, 
and goes not back to Thee. It does nothing but 
what is pleasing to Thee. It suffers everything 
for Thee, and resists not Thy ordinances. It 
gives itself entirely up to Thee, and throws itself 
with loving confidence into the arms of Thy 
providence. 

An Act of Love and Oblation. — I can make 
amends for all by great and constant fervor. 
Away then with cowardice ! Why can I not do 
what so many youths in the bloom of their lives, 
what so many maidens with the extreme delicacy 
of their age have done? "I can do all things," 
says St. Paul, " in Him who strengthened me" 
(Phil. iv. 13). This I also say confiding in Thee, 
O my God, my Strength and my All ! Accept 
then, O Lord, and take to Thyself my entire 
liberty, my memory, my intellect, and my will, 
all that I have and own. It is Thyself, O Lord, 
who hast given all this to me, and I now give it 
back to Thee; all is Thine own property, dispose 
of it as Thou pleasest. Give me only Thy love 
— give me Thy grace — and that is enough for 
me. 

Petition. — Come, therefore, O Holy Ghost ! 
Thou art love itself, and the source of the Divine 



God is Infinitely Good in Himself. 183 

fire which burns in the Saints. Thou art sanctity 
itself, and the fountain of all the efficacious 
graces in souls. Thou drawest their affections to 
heavenly things. Descend then to-day into my 
heart, cleanse it from all imperfections and en- 
kindle in it the fire of Thy Divine love. " Com- 
pel my rebellious will to Thee." Do me violence, 
I shall not resist; I ask for Thy love, and to 
obtain Thy love I am ready to do and to suffer 
all that Thou wiliest. 



Self-Examination. 
Jntrobnctorg llemarka. 

With God's grace, you acknowledge your im- 
perfections, and are displeased with them; you 
have a sincere desire to die to yourself and to 
all creatures; you long for union and an intimate 
familiarity with Him; you desire to experience 
the effects of perfect love which He grants to 
those who seek Him with a pure heart. If de- 
sires of this sort inflame not your heart, why 
did you embrace a religious life ? Why did you 
come hither ? I came to save my soul, you say. 
But had you not means for this in the world ? 
If you aim not at perfection, if you strive not for 
a higher virtue than that of pious people in the 
world, why did you leave it ? But, thanks to the 
infinite goodness of God, you have other thoughts 
now 7 , your heart desires true sanctity. I must, 
therefore, show T you the path, and you ought to 
enter on it, and continue in it faithfully and 
generously. 

For this purpose two things are required. 

i st. You must examine your heart, and search 
into it to find out all your imperfections, all your 
evil tendencies, till you clearly see in what state 
your soul is. This must be done during the time 
which spiritual writers call the Purgative Way. 



Self-Examination. 185 

2dly. After you know well your present state, 
you must proceed further in your holy under- 
taking, and so regulate your life as to have a 
fair hope of arriving at your proposed end — per- 
fection and sanctity; then you enter on what 
ascetic writers term the Illuminative and the 
Unitive Ways. 

When the hour of self-consideration has ar- 
rived, put yourself in the presence of God, offer- 
ing it to Him with the purest intention of His 
greater glory and your own spiritual advantage, 
and beg earnestly the grace of reforming, ac- 
cording to His most holy will, all that is imper- 
fect in your soul. Then begin the examination. 
Pause very often, without listening to the voice 
of self-love; consider in the sight of God how 
you have acted until now. Write down your 
faults. You will thus soon clearly see how im- 
perfect your soul is, how deeply rooted its 
inordinate affections, what degree of virtue you 
have acquired, what increase of the love of God 
and your neighbor. In short, you will see how 
your soul stands before God. And then, end 
by making an Act of Contrition, offering to your 
crucified Saviour your resolutions, asking Him, 
through His most precious blood, the grace to 
carry them into effect faithfully. 

A thorough knowledge of the actual state of 
your soul is the most necessary preparation to 
regulate the future. For if you take one clear 
and full view of the sins, the imperfections and 
the bad inclinations, of the abuse of grace, of 



1 86 The Truths of Salvation. 

your tepidity and carelessness in the practice of 
virtue, it is hardly possible not to be filled with 
confusion, not to acknowledge your ingratitude 
to God, and to feel exceedingly contrite for the 
many sins of your past life. Hence will spring 
true detestation of sin, an humble confession and 
a perfect reconciliation with God. Moreover, 
at the time of the spiritual exercises there never 
fails a particular and powerful movement of 
grace, so that those who do co-operate will eager- 
ly press forward in the way of virtue. 

Enter, therefore, seriously into yourself, ex- 
amine every corner of your soul, with determi- 
nation such as would be needed to destroy your 
most implacable enemy. Represent vividly to 
yourself the state of your soul, and look at it 
until, through horror, you begin to despise and 
hate yourself thoroughly. 

An examination made superficially produces 
neither sorrow nor amendment of life; but an 
earnest and long-continued scrutiny of the soul 
and its whole load of sins and imperfections is 
apt to bring on an entire amendment of life. 

What I have just said of the importance of 
self-examination, applies likewise to the mani- 
festation of conscience to Him who directs your 
soul. There is in the direction of souls no par- 
ticular on which their progress in virtue more 
depends. Even the most experienced spiritual 
director can be deceived if you do not clearly 
unfold your whole self. Almighty God may, to 
punish you, deny your adviser the necessary 



Self -Examination. 1 87 

light; on the other hand, when there is holy sim- 
plicity and sincerity, heavenly light will hardly 
be wanting to a spiritual director. 

You must, however, carefully avoid falling 
into a mistake that frequently occurs. Some 
souls that truly attain to the knowledge of their 
interior by a retrospective view of their past 
sins and imperfections, become sad beyond 
measure, lose confidence in God, grow timid - 
and cowardly, and lastly, fall into a state 
bordering on despair. They turn thus to their 
own destruction this only means of amendment. 
But, thanks be to God, it is never too late, 
where there is a resolute will. Why ? you may 
ask. Because God is Omnipotent. He can 
strengthen our weakness, how great soever it 
may be. He is infinitely good, and refuses His 
grace to nobody who trusts in Him. He is 
infinitely merciful, and looks no longer on our 
former state of life, if we earnestly desire to 
amend. Thus think of God, guard against the 
least diffidence in Him; by doing so you will 
overcome the greatest impediment to your 
amendment. 

True, God gives to the Christian soul the 
graces necessary to arrive at perfection, but 
with a certain measure. He prepares for it the 
fittest means, but in a limited number; He 
grants life, but only for some time. If all this 
is let pass by without fruit, then He withdraws 
from the soul. He may not, perhaps, cast it 
from Himself forever, but He considers it un- 



1 88 The Truths of Salvation. 

worthy of being conducted to union and sanc- 
tity. Then darkness ensues in the mind, aridity 
in the will, a life without consolation, a death 
troubled with fear and anxiety, lastly pains of 
Purgatory according to the rigor of His justice. 
In this retreat, perhaps, your measure of heav- 
enly graces has been filled up; these, perchance, 
are your last means of arriving at sanctity; it 
may be these hours of self-consideration are the 
last of your life. The abuse of grace so long 
continued should justly terrify you. Waken, 
then, at once and earnestly employ every mo- 
ment of the acceptable time. Hear the Apos- 
tle: " Whilst we have time let us work good*' 
(Gal. vi. 10). 

" Rise thou that sleepest, and arise from the 
dead, and Christ shall enlighten thee" (Ephes. 
v. 14). 

FIRST DAY. 

Examination on Purity of Heart. 

The great master of spiritual life, St. Francis 
de Sales, says: " The first step for those who wish 
to arrive at purity of heart is to be free not only 
from mortal but also from venial sin. The 
second is that not even an inclination to venial 
sin should remain in their hearts." 

We will now examine the various degrees of 
purity of heart, and then you can see in what 
degree you are. 

The first degree is not to commit easily such 



Self -Examination. 1 89 

venial sins as by their nature lead to mortal 
ones. 

To foster any inordinate affection, when we 
are conscious that dangerous temptations arise 
from it, would be a sin of this kind. Not to 
suppress the first emotion or attack of impure 
thoughts, to play with them and to be negligent 
in banishing them, would be a sin of this nature. 
Another sin of this sort would be to recall to 
mind vividly some former injury received, and to 
dwell on it with indignation, when we know 
from experience that it excites in our soul great 
anger and hatred. There would be a like sin 
to give occasion knowingly and willingly to 
grievous temptations, either by curiosity of the 
eyes or in any other way. 

I call this degree the lowest because these 
species of venial sin are the most dangerous. 
We cannot remain long in this degree: either we 
endeavor to avoid these sins, and thus ascend to 
a higher degree, or we lose this degree and fall 
into mortal sin. 

They who without remorse commit venial 
sins, and even boast of them as virtues, have 
not reached the second degree. They tell their 
confidants all that they have heard of fellow 
religious, and warn them to be on their guard 
against them; they persuade others not to be 
silent on such and such an occasion, but to show 
their spirit by not allowing such a stretch of 
authority and the like. This they call true 
charity. They inspire others with fear, repre- 



190 The Truths of Salvation. 

hend them, and censoriously impose silence by 
usurped authority; in acting thus, they look 
upon themselves as zealous in promoting God's 
interests and their neighbor's welfare. They 
speak only of the faults of others, rake up and 
retail forgotten or new misdeeds, denounce the 
too great freedom of this or that one, or their 
love of comfort, and so on. This they call 
spiritual conversation. Some complain, without 
remorse, of the Superior's way of acting, criti- 
cise their decisions, find fault with this and with 
that. This they imagine is love of discipline. 
Others listen willingly to those who detract or 
calumniate, encourage and increase their slan- 
derous disposition, manifest great sympathy for 
them, and thus inflame their indignation, and 
this they pretend is charity. 

Souls subject to these faults are either fear- 
fully blind, or terribly malicious. For either 
they are or are not conscious that they sin. If 
they are not conscious they are in great blind- 
ness, and indeed in such blindness that during 
their whole life they place a barrier between 
themselves and Almighty God. If they are 
conscious of sinning and still persist, then they 
are terribly malicious, because exteriorly they 
praise as a virtue what their conscience con- 
demns as a vice. 

They who entertain an affection for venial 
sins have not ascended the third degree. There 
are generally two sorts of these sins. The first 
is knowingly and willingly to entertain an in- 



Self -Examination. 1 9 1 

ordinate inclination for a person or thing, and 
never truly before God to rid themselves of it, 
nor to make any serious attempt to banish it 
entirely from their hearts. The second is, to 
harbor deliberately a feeling of indignation or 
aversion for others, to allow no occasion to pass 
of letting them feel it, and to make little or no 
effort to divest themselves of such sentiments. 
As long as a soul adheres to these affections, so 
long it continues incapable of acquiring virtue 
even in a moderate degree. 

Those souls have not yet reached the fourth 
degree who, although they entertain no inordinate 
inclination to sinful objects, still keep up certain 
bad habits of venial sins. Such bad habits are: 
1st. To criticise without sufficient cause the 
conduct of others, and to misinterpret their 
words and actions. 2d. To introduce into con- 
versation the imperfections of their companions, 
to make known their secret failings, and to speak 
of them with contempt. 3d. To murmur and 
complain about everything and show dissatisfac- 
tion. 4th. To backbite and carry tales, and thus 
create dissension. 5th. To grow impatient in 
difficulties, and let harsh words escape them. 
6th. To be lukewarm in spiritual exercises, and 
willingly to harbor distractions. 7th. To become 
sad beyond measure in adverse circumstances, 
to grow faint-hearted and to lack confidence. 

Even pious souls may be subject to some of 
these faults; we will find very few whose purity 
of heart is not tarnished by some of these de- 



192 The Truths of Salvation. 

fects. True, in confession they accuse them- 
selves of them over and over; but what is the 
use? where the amendment? Tell me whence 
comes the privation of heavenly light at the 
time of meditation ? whence the aridity and in- 
sensibility in prayer? whence the difficulty in 
the exercise of the presence of God ? whence the 
lack of Divine graces, which otherwise flow so 
copiously into pure hearts ? The cause is easily 
found; one alone of these bad habits is sufficient 
to draw down upon you these punishments. 

Those ascend the fifth degree who are at all 
times disposed to undergo the most painful 
suffering rather than willingly to offend God by 
a venial sin, but they do not persevere in this 
resolution. In truth, some pious souls pro- 
test before God their willingness to persevere in 
their good resolutions; but, their bad inclinations 
not being entirely subdued, the flow of grace is 
not so copious and continued as is required for 
such a high degree of perfection. They often 
swerve from their course, and hardly a week 
passes without their offending God venially once 
or twice. This state is incomparably superior to 
the fourth degree, but by no means sufficient to 
experience the effects of pure love. 

The sixth degree consists in being truly so dis- 
posed as to be ready at any moment to suffer 
the most excruciating torments rather than to 
offend God by a venial sin, and in being de- 
termined to persevere in this resolution. Thus 
was the holy and seraphic Catharine of Genoa, 



Self -Examination. 193 

who often exclaimed, " O my Lord and my God, 
I would let my body be torn into a thousand 
pieces, rather than offend Thee by the least sin." 

We may know that our soul is in this happy 
state by two signs. The first sign is for us to 
pass whole months without our conscience re- 
proaching us with a deliberate venial sin. The 
second is, if we have committed one, to feel as 
much sorrow and compunction as if we had 
been guilty of a heinous crime. The heart which 
is thus disposed is prepared for union with God. 

The seventh and highest degree is, not only not 
to commit a venial sin deliberately, but rarely to 
fall into venial sin, and then only through incon- 
sideration and frailty. There are only few souls 
that by continual mortification and by a special 
grace of God have attained this wonderful purity 
of heart. They walk the whole day in the pres- 
ence of God, and no idle thoughts find room in 
their hearts. They are dead to all inordinate 
affections, and consequently they are able to re- 
press the first impulses of them. They have a 
heartfelt charity towards all; they harbor no 
suspicions, think no evil of their neighbor; they 
are masters of their tongue, none but edifying 
words escape from their lips. Thus they walk 
and cherish in their hearts a purity which we 
ought to call heavenly rather than earthly. 

Such was the soul of the saintly Father 
Lancicius, who, in his written account of con- 
science, given by order of his Superior, ac- 
knowledged: 1st. That for a great many years 



194 The Truths of Salvation. 

no suspicions, no angry or other sinful thoughts 
had found place in his heart. 2d. That for the 
space of forty years he never violated the rule 
of silence. 3d. That for the same number of 
years he never felt an emotion of an inordinate 
affection, or a temptation against purity. 4th. 
That during the space of forty years he never 
felt a desire of vain honor and esteem. 5th. 
That for the same length of time he entertained 
for all men a tender and sincere love, and that he 
had for his persecutors no feeling of anger, but 
a sincere love and an ardent desire to do all 
good to them. 

This is indeed a purity worthy of admiration. 
Here pause and examine again one degree after 
another. Bear in mind that this self-examen is 
the most important part of a religious life. All 
spiritual exercises whatsoever are not sufficient 
to bring you close to God, unless you reach the 
last degrees of purity of heart. 



SECOND DAY. 

One cannot attain to union with God unless 
the heart be entirely purified; but purity of 
heart can only be acquired by perfect mortifica- 
tion of all inordinate affections. Even one evil 
inclination is sufficient to crowd the soul with a 
multitude of venial sins, and to render it unfit 
for the love and communion with God. A clear 
understanding on this important point is requisite 
for a fair start. Spiritual writers treat this sub- 



Self -Examination, 195 

ject at great length, but I will confine myself to 
those inordinate affections which are the fertile 
source of others and do great harm to the soul, 
viz.: inordinate love, desire of esteem and honor, 
sloth, sadness, anger and false zeal. 

Examination on Inordinate Love. 

According to St. Francis de Sales, love is 
threefold: natural, supernatural and sinful. 
Natural love is respect and esteem, even affec- 
tion for persons because they are blest with ex- 
traordinary talent and amiability. This love is 
neither meritorious nor sinful; it is indifferent 
unless it be exalted and rendered meritorious 
by higher motives. Supernatural love is a love 
of persons in God and for God, because God 
loves them as His children, and wishes you also 
to love them. This love is excellent and holy. 
Sinful love is an inordinate love for persons on 
account of unworthy motives. 

Let us now examine only the last-mentioned 
kind. 

Effects of Inordinate Love. 

First effect. — It alienates the heart from God, 
attaches it to created things. A soul that know- 
ingly and willingly entertains this love will in a 
short time undergo a dreadful change. It will 
feel a vehement inclination for creatures, and 
equal insensibility towards God and God's in- 
terest. It feels happy only in the presence, and 
is miserable in the absence of its idol. As the 



196 The Truths of Salvation. 

conversation with the beloved person is full of 
pleasure, the Communion with God is replete 
with disgust. Prayer is interrupted by perverse 
thoughts, recollection of mind becomes insipid, 
and we can quickly see that God does not wish 
to dwell in a heart in which preference is given 
to creatures. 

Second effect. — It contaminates and defiles the 
heart with innumerable sins. Whoever yields 
to it opens the door to countless failings. How 
many sinful thoughts and delights, how many 
inordinate desires, how many idle words, how 
much murmuring and backbiting, how many 
calumnies and feelings of aversion are to be 
found in those w r ho nourish in their hearts this 
inordinate love. 

Third effect. — It deprives them, in a great 
measure, of the fruits of holy Communion. True 
conscience clamors loud enough, upbraiding 
them for their conduct, and telling them that their 
life displeases God; but as they love their cap- 
tivity, they will not free themselves. Whenever 
they make an Act of Contrition they say it so 
coldly that they themselves perceive its insuf- 
ficiency to burst through the chains that bind 
them. They approach the table of the Lord and 
brkrg-*& their Saviour a heart full of imperfec- 
tions which causes Him disgust. No wonder, 
then, that God pours so few graces into such 
impure vessels. 

Fourth effect. — It exposes the soul to the im- 
minent danger of losing the grace of God. To 



Self -Examination. 1 97 

foster an inordinate love in the heart for some 
time, and not to fall into grievous sin, is just as 
rare as to carry a serpent in one's bosom and not 
be bitten. They are on the verge of mortal sin. 
The reason of this is two-fold: First, inordinate 
love naturally causes great and dangerous temp- 
tations. Secondly, it deprives of the Divine assist- 
ance those who seek the danger and remain 
therein notwithstanding interior inspirations. 

Mortification of Inordinate Love and its 
Degrees. 

First degree. — To keep the heart free from all 
inordinate affection. Spiritual persons ought 
not to entertain a tender or foolish love for 
any person, nor have a particular intimacy with 
any one, nor even occupy their minds by the 
thought of others; they must have their hearts 
free and not enslaved, so that nothing may dis- 
tract them at prayer. 

Second degree. — To cherish for another only a 
supernatural love. This is a high virtue and re- 
quires a great recollection of mind. Its practice 
consists in these two points: 1st. Whenever you 
converse with a person whom you tenderly love, 
you must purify this feeling and change this 
natural love into supernatural by making an 
Act of perfect Love of God. 2d. Observe the 
same rule whenever you feel this foolish tender- 
ness for absent persons. 

Third degree. — So to purify your love for 
others that the love of God may not only have 



198 The Truths of Salvation. 



the preference, but perfect dominion in your 
soul. We may love, and even tenderly, but the 
love of God must always be superior to every 
other affection. You must, therefore, prefer to 
have the persons whom you love enemies rather 
than to break, through love for them, a single 
rule or be guilty of any imperfection. 

Thus St. Augustine and St. Frances de Chan- 
tal loved. They both wept and they wept out 
of tenderness of love; St. Frances for the death 
of her spiritual father, and St. Augustine for the 
death of his holy mother Monica. But it is cer- 
tain that St. Augustine would not have raised 
St. Monica to life, nor St. Frances her spiritual 
father, for they clearly knew that their loss was 
the will of God. 

Fourth degree. — In the person whom you love 
to see nothing and to love nothing but God. A 
soul that has come to this high degree possesses 
great heavenly light, by which it sees God in all 
creatures and in them loves Him alone. If you 
hold intercourse with persons blest with natural 
and supernatural graces, you ought to see God 
in them, how bountifully He pours out His gifts 
on them; then with yourw T hole heart you should 
esteem, love and praise in them nothing but 
God. If others do you any good, you should 
think that it was God who inspired them with 
this good wish to benefit you, and that He uses 
their benevolence to bestow on you this favor. 
In this way you may see, love and praise God 
alone in others. 



. 



Self -Examination. 1 99 

"This is rare," says St. Francis de Sales. "We 
consider the benefits without thinking of God, or, 
if we think of Him, we remember at the same 
time the friend, and so mix him up with God." 

Concluding this examination, we can safely 
say that supernatural love for our neighbor in its 
entirety is found in very few souls, because 
there are very few who love God in their neigh- 
bor, and their neighbor for God alone. 



THIRD DAY. 

Examination on the Desire of Esteem and 
Honor. 

We are going to attack an enemy who has 
subjected to his domineering rule the greater 
part of mankind. We give over our hearts 
almost entirely to him, perfectly satisfied to 
allow him to rule over them with absolute con- 
trol and in undisturbed peace. To banish thence 
this deadly foe and to enthrone therein humility 
is an undertaking in which only a few courage- 
ous souls dare to engage. Honor is so enticing 
for the mind and heart of man as not to be 
spurned without a great victory over ourselves, 
and it is not without much ado that we can put 
aside our senseless notions on this point. All 
who have not courage enough to do themselves 
violence, will fruitlessly engage in this combat. 
What have you done up to this ? Has pride been 
your victor and you its victim ? 



200 The Truths of Salvation, 

Signs of the Love of Honor. 

First sign, — To have a great esteem of one's 
self. This is the peculiar effect of this deplora- 
ble passion. Religious who are subject to it 
believe that their talents, their prudence, their 
way of acting, and their virtues are such that no 
one can justly find any fault therein. They 
foolishly imagine that every one should esteem 
them, they think that they are fit for every office. 
It is their due and theirs alone. All that is im- 
portant belongs to them by right. Others in 
their estimation are devoid of all talents, utterly 
wanting in prudence, and are thoroughly mean 
and contemptible. Those who are thus dis- 
posed pompously swell with pride, and are in 
fact an abomination before God. 

Seco?id sign. — To love exceedingly and ear- 
nestly to seek esteem and honor. All who are 
thus besotted have an immoderate desire of 
praise. They wish to be preferred to others, 
and if it does not happen they become exceed- 
ingly sad. They rejoice when others are repre- 
hended and humbled. They are afflicted when 
others are praised and exalted. They neglect 
much good and commit much evil to please 
men. 

Third sign. — To fear humiliations, to fly from 
them, or to bear them reluctantly. The slight- 
est humiliation, how little soever it may be, dis- 
turbs proud and ambitious persons. A com- 
mand or an office which seems to them not 



Self -Examination. 20 1 

honorable enough, a reprimand or censure of 
their conduct, a look of contempt, the least sus- 
picion under which they fall, a harsh word, a 
contradiction, a sour countenance, a refusal is 
enough to trouble them. This is an infallible 
sign that pride is their master, master of their 
minds, master of their hearts. Hear what St. 
Francis de Sales says: " Those who complain of 
cross words must be very tender indeed, because 
only words were uttered which died away im- 
mediately. I am much displeased when I hear 
religious say they have been offended by an 
abusive expression, for there is a great differ- 
ence between the buzz and the sting of a bee. 
We must be extremely delicate, and have ears 
amazingly sensitive if we cannot bear the hum 
of a fly/' 

Fourth sign. — To be too much troubled and 
grieved at contempt and injuries. There are 
occurrences which are very painful to human 
nature; as suspicions, false accusations, detrac- 
tions, public humiliations, abuse and contempt. 
If religious become sad and afflicted and mur- 
mur thereat, it is an evident sign that their cor- 
rupt nature is not yet overcome, and that the 
love of honor is deeply seated in their hearts. 
The greater their sadness, the greater their 
trouble and confusion, the deeper are the roots 
of pride. 



202 The Truths of Salvations 

Mortification of this Inordinate Desire 
and its Degrees. 

First degree. — To contemn all esteem and love 
of men, and to judge one's self as truly un- 
worthy of honor in the sight of God. An humble 
soul must infallibly believe that whatever is 
good in it is entirely the work of Divine mere)'; 
therefore, not to it but to God all praise by right 
belongs. It must be fully convinced that in itself 
it is naught but nothingness and sin, and that 
consequently contempt is its due. " Humility,'' 
says St. Francis de Sales, " makes us like poor 
beggars who think themselves the most con- 
temptible and meanest of all mortals." 

Second degree. — To hate all praise and all es- 
teem of men, and if possible fly from it. We 
should never seek human praise, and when, nev- 
ertheless, it is given us, we must interiorly have 
a real horror of its emptiness. We must always 
desire the lowest place, and rejoice when others 
are preferred. We must live to God in secret, 
and conceal our good works from the eyes cf 
men. " If God, by His grace," says St. Francis 
de Sales of himself, " has made me fit to prac- 
tise some works of holiness, and used me as an 
instrument to do some good, I would wish on 
the day of judgment, when all the secrets of the 
heart shall be revealed, no one but God alone to 
know them, and, on the contrary, all men to 
know my wickedness." 

Third degree. — To bear without trouble false ac- 



Self -Examination. 203 

cusations, suspicions, rash judgments, calumnies, 
abuse and contempt. Those who love humility 
are not surprised at wrongs done them. They be- 
lieve they are treated justly, and bear these with 
calmness and resignation. This is the saying of 
St. Francis de Sales, " Who is he that sins not, and 
who in consequence deserves not punishment?" 
If this punishment is inflicted, let us think that 
we have offended God, and that it is very just 
that a creature as an instrument of His justice 
punishes us. These three degrees are necessary 
to arrive at union with God. 

Fourth degree. — To accept and suffer wrongs 
with joy. " Oh, how pleasing would afflictions 
be/' says St. Francis de Sales, "if we had truly 
a desire of salvation ! How precious would 
such occasions be, because they furnish us with 
the means of practising humility, a virtue so 
pleasing to God." 



FOURTH DAY. 

Examination on Sloth and Sadness. 

Besides the inordinate love and desire of 
honor, there are two other evil tendencies which 
sorely trouble not a few and hinder the whole 
work of perfection unless they be entirely ban- 
ished from the soul, viz., sloth and sadness. 
Truly, the more harmless these two appear the 
more they injure. 



204 The Truths of Salvation. 



Sloth. 

Sloth is a certain languor and dejection of 
spirits which are the cause of one either omit- 
ting the works necessary to perfection or per- 
forming them negligently. From this vice rise 
many grievous evils. The greatest of them is 
that the soul in consequence loses all relish for 
spiritual things, regards the best and holiest 
resolutions and even sanctity itself as something 
unattainable by human weakness, and therefore 
passes all its days in continued tepidity. 

Signs of Sloth. 

First sign. — To feel a loathing and disgust for 
religious exercises. Sloth is for the soul what 
sickness is for the body. A sick man is not fit 
for any labor, undertakes it with great difficulty, 
and cannot continue it through lack of strength. 
A slothful soul feels thus indisposed. It looks 
on the hour of prayer as an hour of torment; it 
begins it reluctantly and cannot keep up its 
fervor but for a few brief moments, through dry- 
ness of heart and distractions of mind, and con- 
sequently it anxiously awaits the end. The 
examen of conscience is neglected altogether or 
at most is superficial, confession is either in- 
sincere or without contrition, and Communion 
without devotion. 

Second sign. — To perform the spiritual exer- 
cises without profit. Though slothful religious 
have gone through them over and over, not a 



Self -Examination, 205 

habit of venial sin is corrected, not a single evil 
inclination weakened. They are as impatient 
and uncharitable towards others, as obstinate 
and disobedient to Superiors, as slanderous and 
as irritable as ever. 

Third sign. — Always to make new resolutions 
and to keep none. This occurs quite frequently. 
The slothful are constantly forming resolutions 
to practise humility, but they soon give up the 
work, and they remain as proud and as little 
able to bear contumely tranquilly and joyfully 
as before. Completely tired of the practice of 
humility, they try the practice of meekness. 
This they relish no better, when they perceive 
that they can bear no wrong done by others 
without evident uneasiness. The perpetual re- 
straint required for the rooting out of bad 
habits is something too trying for sloth. The 
consequence of the continued changing is that, 
after twenty or thirty years' trouble, they have 
no more virtue than in the beginning. 

Fourth sign, — To lead an idle life. Souls sub- 
ject to this shameful vice have in themselves 
little spirituality. They live without recollec- 
tion and without the thought of the presence of 
God, they hate silence, talk whenever and wher- 
ever they can, utterly forgetful of interior prog- 
ress. In all their employments they are so 
negligent that they cannot be trusted with any- 
thing of importance. St. Francis of Assisi 
even calls them gnats and flies, because they do 
nothing else than to hurt and annoy others. 



206 The Truths of Salvation. 

"The kingdom of Heaven," says Christ, " suffer- 
eth violence, and the violent" — not the slothful 
— "bear it away" (St. Matt. xi. 12). 

Mortification of Sloth and its Degrees. 

First degree. — To be pleased with the spiritual 
exercises, and to perform them with great fervor. 
Prayer is to a religious what water is to the fish. 
A fish cannot live without water, nor a religious 
without prayer. Truly religious persons never 
go to prayer without preparation, are never 
guilty of voluntary negligence, never shorten 
the time of meditation; they are indifferent to 
dryness or consolation, to aridity or devotion. 
Their fervor is the same at all times and under 
all circumstances. 

Second degree. — To perform these exercises not 
only with fervor and devotion, but also with 
advantage to themselves. They who earnestly 
seek God, seek in prayer neither particular 
lights nor consolations, but only the amendment 
of their lives and progress in virtue. When 
they meditate, they take the resolution to prac- 
tise on the day such and such a virtue; they 
also carry out this resolution. When they con- 
fess, they direct their intention to some venial 
sin or other, in order to free themselves entirely 
from their disorderly affections. They receive 
for the same purpose. This is to be devout in a 
practical way. 

Third degree. — To persevere in this resolution 
until the sin ceases, Where there is an earnest 



Self-Examination. 207 

will there must be constancy. An example of 
this is given by St. Francis de Sales, who gradu- 
ally arrived at such a degree of meekness that 
every one was astonished. But he spent twenty 
years in mastering his natural quickness of tem- 
per. 

Fourth degree. — To lead an interior, recollected 
and supernatural life. In truly religious per- 
sons there can be found no idleness, either in- 
teriorly or exteriorly. They perform every 
work with an actual good intention. They look 
upon all adversities as appointments of God, 
and humbly submit to them; they turn all their 
thoughts on God, and keep themselves in con- 
tinual recollection. 

Sadness. 

Love of God and sadness cannot exist to- 
gether. Where there is true love of God there 
is no sadness, there dwells tranquillity, peace 
and joy in the Holy Ghost. But where there 
is sadness, there is discontent, loathing and 
nothing but misery. How could it then be 
possible that two things so much opposed to 
one another can be in the soul together ? Sad- 
ness must either leave it or love cannot arrive 
at its perfection. We find in the lives of the 
Saints that they shunned sadness as a ruthless 
enemy of true love, and by all means endeavored 
to preserve joy and gladness of heart. Now 
examine yourself, and see how much you are 
wanting in this holy joy. 



208 The Truths of Salvation. 

Effects of Sadness. 

First effect, — It robs the heart of all comfort 
and pleasure and fills it with confusion. Those 
who are subject to melancholy and sadness 
truly deserve compassion. On a sudden, without 
any cause, they become gloomy; their memories 
are filled with a crowd of sad thoughts; their 
hearts are depressed, even tears gush from their 
eyes. They listen to no advice; according to 
their imagination nobody is their real friend, 
nobody is sincere and candid with them. If any 
one admonish them to banish these thoughts 
from their mind as fallacies and illusion, they 
become angry and more troubled and confused 
than before, and show thus love for their mis- 
fortune. 

Second effect. — It deprives the soul of all devo- 
tion and communion with God. The thoughts 
which disturb and confuse the mind draw it 
ever away from God. The bitterness which 
depresses the heart, makes an elevation of the 
spirit to God impossible. 

Third effect. — It is the cause of complaints, 
murmurs and expressions of contempt. Sad 
people are subject to many inconveniences; 
they are always full of suspicions and of wild 
notions. They are extremely sensitive; an un- 
friendly mien is sufficient to render them morose 
and sullen for a whole week. Always full of 
disquietude and uneasiness, there are an annoy- 
ance to themselves and to others. 



Self-Examination. 209 

Fourth effect. — It drives the soul into misera- 
ble cowardice, and urges it even to want of con- 
fidence in God and to despair. This is the last 
unhappy effect of sadness, that after having de- 
prived man of all earthly happiness and joy, 
it robs him also of heavenly consolation and 
confidence in God. St. Frances of Rome once 
fell into great sadness, and remained therein a 
long time. Then St. Onuphrius appeared to 
her and said: " Put away sadness, my daughter; 
for a soul that is sad is not fit for the spiritual 
life; if you do not obey me, you shall lose by 
degrees all fervor and devotion, fall into pusil- 
lanimity, and finally into despair." 

Mortification of Sadness and its Degrees. 

First degree. — Always to accept all exterior 
and interior adversities as from the hand of God, 
and to bear them for His love. Sadness pro- 
ceeds from our not having true indifference. If, 
then, we be ready to submit in everything our 
will to the Divine will, no adversity will ever 
bring on sadness. The foundation, therefore, 
on which interior peace and tranquillity rests is 
indifference about all which God may be pleased 
to send us. For this there are only two requi- 
sites. The first is to believe infallibly that all 
adversities come from God, that He sends them 
out of pure love for our greater good, and that 
He will never desert us if we humbly bow to His 
holy will. The second is to give one's self en- 
tirely to God's guidance, accepting with readi- 



210 The Truths of Salvation. 

ness everything which He metes out to us for 
soul and body. We must say with St. Francis 
de Sales, God knows much better than I how to ap- 
point and ordain all things. Let us, therefore, 
allow Him to act with us and to treat us as He 
Himself deems fit, saying to Him, O God, Thy 
holy will be done, not mine. Thy law and Thy 
most holy will be forever pleasing to my heart. 
"Health and sickness, honor and contempt, life 
and death are in Thy hands. Give me whatever 
thou wiliest, with Thy grace to be indifferent, 
and I am and ever will be content. 

Second degree. — In times of adversity, whether 
interior or exterior, quickly and vigorously to 
stifle all sadness. If, however, we unfortunately 
give way to it, no means are better to rid us of 
this unwelcome guest than these two: The first 
is to banish thoughts which trouble and disquiet 
our hearts, and to be assured that our imagina- 
tion makes more of trifles than they are worth. 
The second is to fix our thoughts on God, to 
adore His most holy will, earnestly resolve to 
bear the trials He sends us with all submission 
to His Divine will, and to persevere in this exer- 
cise until the mind becomes serene and the heart 
is entirely at ease. 

Third degree. — To submit to these trials with 
tranquillity and contentment. A truly patient 
soul is never so far influenced by them as to lose 
interior peace, and thus to be unable to treat 
with God freely. It never breaks forth into 
complaints. It feels the Cross, it is true, but it 



Self -Examination. 211 

keeps itself interiorly tranquil, perfectly resigned 
to the Divine will. 

Once an ecclesiastic complained to St. Francis 
de Sales. The Saint answered: "I have no oil to 
pour on your wound. I would increase the evil 
if I treated you leniently. I can do nothing else 
than to wash it with vinegar and rub it with salt. 
You say well-tried and wonderful virtue would 
be required to bear what you suffered without 
complaint. Your patience cannot be very great, 
since affliction goes so much to your heart." 
The clergyman replied, "I have complained only 
to my bishop, who is my father. Where should 
a son go when he is sad but to his father?" 
"O my son," answered the Saint, " how long will 
you love childishness? Should a pastor of so 
many spiritual children behave like a child ? Da 
you wish me to feed you with milk like a nurse? 
instead of the substantial food which grown-up 
persons require ? Are not your teeth sound 
enough to break and eat the hard bread of afflic- 
tion ?" Such was St. Francis de Sales's answer, 
and it suffices for the third degree, which is nec- 
essary for union with God. 

The fourth degree. — To bear all afflictions joy- 
fully. This degree is very high, and can only be 
climbed by humility, long self-denial and con- 
tinued exercises of patience, and by the special 
assistance of Divine grace. 



212 The Truths of Salvation. 



FIFTH DAY. 

Two evil inclinations remain to be treated of: 
anger and inordinate zeal. One cannot suffi- 
ciently express how pernicious they are. Since 
they are opposed to our neighbor, they render 
our whole life useless, and keep us till death from 
acquiring perfection. 

Examination on Anger. 

Those whose temper is hot and fiery have within 
themselves a strong and powerful enemy, and if 
they are not constantly on their guard, and do not 
endeavor strenuously on all occasions to suppress 
every outburst of auger, they will never be set 
free from its tyranny. There have been many 
Saints who by continual self-denial have so tamed 
and conquered this passion that they were re- 
garded as men of cold and phlegmatic, not of 
choleric and irascible temperament. We must 
tread in their footsteps if we desire to arrive at 
perfection. 

Let us see now what power anger has over our 
hearts. 

Signs of Anger. 

First sign. — To be excited easily, and to boil 
with impatience and indignation. There are 
some persons who are like gunpowder. It ig- 
nites when it comes in contact with the smallest 
particle of fire, bursts into a flame in «a moment, 
and explodes with great violence. A disoblig- 






Self -Examination. 213 

ing word, dropped without mature deliberation, 
a jest uttered without the least intention to offend,* 
is enough to set them all on fire. A refusal or a 
contradiction is sufficient to fill their hearts with 
aversion and wrath. They are sometimes even 
full of indignation without any cause for it. 

Second sign. — Through anger and indignation 
to break forth into impatient words, murmuring 
and complaints. This is the habit of angry and 
revengeful persons. If the least inj.ury is done 
them, they abuse terribly those who have wronged 
them, and pour out on them their whole venom. 
They are not satisfied with this, they fill the ears 
of others with their murmurs and complaints. 
They imagine this wrong will kill them outright 
if they bear it in silence. 

Third sign. — To continue in anger a long 
time, and to persevere in it when once excited. 
There is a great difference between a fire of straw 
and of large trees. When a fire is kindled among 
stubble it causes a quick, glaring flame, but soon 
dies out, while great trees make an enormous 
fire, spread destruction all around, and continue 
glowing with intense heat. There are some 
who are easily excited to anger and make a great 
bustle, but in a few minutes it is all over; of- 
fender and offended are again friends. Others 
keep up a steady flame, which gleams a long 
time, harbor a multitude of hostile thoughts, 
suspicions, rash judgments and contempt, and 
nourish in their hearts rancor and hatred for 
whole days, even months. 



214 The Truths of Salvation. 

Fourth sign, — To have a continual hatred 
and smothered indignation for a person. This 
is the most mischievous species of anger. This 
anger arises from supposed or real injury, and 
is never laid aside. The angry person nourishes 
aversion in his heart, and will not treat in a 
friendly way with the persons he dislikes. At 
all times, and in every cireumstance, he shows 
little love for them, and still less kindness. 

Mortification of Anger and its Degrees. 

First degree. — Not to allow in our hearts a 
feeling of anger or aversion for anybody, or for 
any reason whatever. We must have a heart for 
all human beings, and love them with a sincere 
love. When, therefore, we feel within us a con- 
trary inclination, we must strive against it with 
all our might, and never cease until it is rooted 
out. Let us hear what St. Francis de Sales says 
on this matter. " We ought to have a charitable 
and benevolent heart for our neighbor, particu- 
larly when he offends us; we have no other mo- 
tive then to love him than the will of God." 

Second degree. — To put down immediately the 
first motions of anger and aversion. This prac- 
tice is the only remedy for perfectly overcoming 
anger and for acquiring meekness. We must, 
therefore, regard all occasions, which generally 
excite anger, as special favors of God; overcome 
ourselves courageously, and endeavor to acquire 
self-control, self-possession and affability of 
manners, which are the marks of true sanctity. 






Self-Examination. 215 

" There are some/' says St. Francis de Sales, 
" who are all meekness and mildness as long as 
everything goes according to their desires; but 
if any one offends them, they fire up immediately, 
and like the mountains of which the Psalmist 
speaks, throw up dense smoke. They are like 
live coals which lie hidden under ashes. It is no 
great thing to be kind and charitable towards 
those who are good; but to be affable and gracious 
towards those who are perverse', to bestow bless- 
ings and favors upon those who persecute us, 
to speak to those who have attacked our honor in 
a friendly way, is a sign of great self-denial." 

Third degree. — To bear insults with good grace 
and pleasing looks; not to complain to anybody 
when we are secretly wronged by suspicions and 
false accusations. But when in our presence we 
are offended by fresh abuse, and we suppress our 
rising anger, and approach those who offend us 
with affability and kindness, is a far greater 
work. 

Nobody can read without admiration the an- 
swer which St. Francis de Sales gave on such an 
occasion. A rough man attacked him once with 
violent and abusive words. " Sir, this messen- 
ger," said the Saint, " has provoked you to anger; 
but I will arrange matters to satisfy you fully. 
Be assured, that if you should deprive me of one 
eye, I will look on you with the other as kindly 
as if you were my best friend." Thus acted 
this great Saint. What do we do ? We must 
sincerely love those who do us evil, and return 



2i6 The Truths of Salvation. 

good for evil. They who love their neighbor 
only in God and for God, will find in the prac- 
tice of this degree no great difficulty. Since the 
motive to love enemies and friends is the same, 
our hearts, by continual self-denial, can be finally 
brought to this point, that our love for both be 
the same. St. Francis de Sales found in this 
exercise nothing but delight and joy. An in- 
timate friend once said to him,. " According to 
my opinion the precept to love one's enemy is 
the hardest in the Christian law." " And I," an- 
swered the Saint, " do not know how my heart is 
made; it may be God moulded it differently from 
that of others; for I find not only no difficulty in 
the fulfilment of this precept, but rather much 
pleasure, so that if God had forbidden us to love 
our enemies, it would be hard for me to obey." 

What else can we conclude now, but that all 
these degrees are necessary, if one desires to ar- 
rive at intimate union with God ? 



SIXTH DAY. 

Examination on Inordinate Zeal. 

This zeal is very insidious; it goes about like 
a wolf in sheep's clothing, which pretends to 
protect the sheep, but devours them all. It talks 
of nothing but discipline, of the rules, of virtue 
and sanctity; but, in reality, it is an enemy of 
peace, a destroyer of unity, and the cause of in- 
numerable sins. Let us reflect on it more at- 
tentively. 



Self ^Examination. 217 

Signs of Inordinate Zeal. 

First sign. — To regard one's own faults as 
trifling, and to look upon others as momentous. 
Those who have true love and genuine zeal have 
always recollected minds, watch closely all the 
movements of their disorderly affections, remark 
in themselves the least imperfection or failing; 
even their virtues appear to them not holy 
enough. When they are guilty of any unfaith- 
fulness to God, they feel more contrition than 
sinners of the world for crimes, and punish them- 
selves more severely. If zeal has not these quali- 
ties it is not true zeal, but an effect of anger and 
the offspring of pride. 

" O God," cries out St. Francis de Sales, " when 
will the time come in which patient forbearance 
with our neighbor strikes deep roots in our 
hearts ?" This is the wisdom of the Saints. 
Happy those who understand it and act accord- 
ingly. We desire that others should bear with 
our infirmities, which always seem to us worthy 
of pity; but we exaggerate their faults and deem 
then unbearable. We watch the faults of others, 
but are blind to our own. Thus we live and flat- 
ter ourselves that we have a heart filled with 
zeal. 

O false zeal, how many eyes thou blindest ! 
Thou growest and becomest grey with years, and 
goest not away until death ! Truly do the words 
of our Saviour apply to thee, when He says: 
" Why seest thou the mote that is in thy broth- 



2 1 8 The Truths of Salvation. 

er's eye, and seest not the beam in thy own eye ? 
Or how sayest thou to thy brother, ' Let me cast 
the mote out of thy eye, and behold a beam is in 
thy own eye! Thou hypocrite, cast out first the 
beam out of thy own eye, and then shalt thou 
see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" 
(St. Matt. vii. 3-5). 

Second sign. — To require virtues of a high de- 
gree in others whilst we practise none. Oh, how 
many and great faults are to be found in inordi- 
nate zeal ! We blame in everything the manners 
and doings of our Superiors, and yet we require 
them to love us sincerely, to treat us kindly and 
to do us all possible good. We criticise every one, 
and wish to be dealt with mildly ourselves. We 
attack others with unbridled tongues, and yet we 
claim for ourselves the greatest forbearance. 

Third sign. — To bear neither admonitions nor 
corrections, and to wish, at the same time, that 
others be treated with the utmost severity. "We 
would have others strictly corrected, but are not 
willing to be corrected ourselves, The great 
liberty of others displeases us, and yet we would 
not be denied anything we ask for. We are 
willing that others should be bound up by laws, 
and we suffer not ourselves to be restrained 
by any means" (Foil, of Christ, i. Book, xvi 
Chap., 3). 

Fourth sign. — Under pretext of zeal, to in- 
crease the sins and disorders which one intends 
to remove. Persons who in their ill-regulated 
zeal try to better everything, are like foolish 






Self -Examination. 219 

mechanics, who, in order to fill up an aperture, 
make many others. What love and meekness 
cannot reform cannot be reformed at all. Use 
not, then, severity, and lay not a burden on any 
one which you would not bear yourself. 

Fifth sign. — Inordinate zeal does away with: 
Reverence and obedience to Superiors, sincere 
mutual love of religious for one another, regu- 
larity in the community life and the spirit of 
prayer, which makes the cloister an earthly 
paradise. For what becomes of obedience if 
everybody is allowed to criticise and to blame 
the actions of Superiors? Where are love and 
charity, if every one is permitted to watch, 
judge, and condemn fellow-religious? Where 
peace and union, if everybody is authorized to 
attack others in their absence? Where are the 
spirit of prayer and recollection, if the mind is 
full of idle and sinful thoughts, and the heart 
devoid of true love and compassion? 

Mortification of Inordinate Zeal and its 
Degrees. 

First degree. — -Never knowingly and willingly 
to think of anything else but of God, His ser- 
vice, and your own soul. All who wish to arrive 
at interior peace and true recollection of spirit 
must act as if they had neither eyes to see, nor 
ears to hear. They must regard all things not 
committed to their care as not concerning them 
in the least, and occupy themselves as little with 



220 The Truths of Salvation. 

the faults of others as with affairs happening 
at a distance. Those who do so will, in a short 
time, experience great tranquillity and peace; 
but those who do not, lose both time and pains. 

Second degree, — To bear the faults of others 
with patience, until a fit occasion offers to ad- 
monish. The Saint of Geneva thus speaks on 
this subject: " It is not required that you pun- 
ish an offender on every occasion, for reason 
and charity demand that you await the proper 
time until the other is fit to receive the well- 
meant admonition. A hot and confused zeal 
throws down more than it builds up. They 
who desire to accomplish too much all at once 
do no good, and even soil more that which they 
wish to cleanse." 

Third degree. — To admonish only with meek- 
ness and charity, when admonition is useful. 
St. Francis de Sales speaks thus on the matter: 
u They who are obliged to watch others and to 
correct their faults, must first mitigate the 
severity of the correction in the fire of an ardent 
love, otherwise the correction would be like un- 
ripe fruit for a stomach." If the Saint requires 
in the Superiors such sweetness and affability, 
whenever they admonish, how much more will he 
not require in those who are not strictly obliged 
to admonish? 

Fourth degree. — To make known the faults to 
the Superior when we believe our admonition is 
not profitable. As it is difficult for Superiors 
always to judge prudently and discreetly when, 



Self -Examination. 2 2 1 

where and how long a fault is to be tolerated, 
how the admonition or correction is to be given, 
so it is easy for subjects to fulfil their obliga- 
tions. If you believe that your admonition is 
not useful, inform the Superiors, and afterwards 
keep silence on the matter, leaving everything to 
od, and praying that He may give light and 
His charity to both parties. 



SEVENTH DAY. 
Examination on Our Love for God. 

Our sanctity consists in loving God with our 
whole hearts, and our neighbor as ourselves. 
Love alone unites us to God. You see, then, 
what an important subject we have to treat. 
Consider well the following degrees of this holy 
love, and examine what and how much is want- 
ing to you: 

First degree. — To hate and to shun the least 
venial sin more than all the evils of this world. 
There is not a more certain sign of true and 
perfect love of God than this hatred and 
avoidance of venial sin. To stay whole months 
without committing a deliberate venial sin, and 
if it happens to be committed, to be very sorry 
and to punish severely in one's self the injury 
done to God, is essentially the exercise of a soul 
that is holy and that loves God perfectly. 

When the venerable Father Nicholas Lanci- 



222 The Truths of Salvation. 

cius, that master of spiritual life, was told that 
a certain religious loved God with his whole 
heart, he asked immediately whether he en- 
deavored to avoid every venial sin. Being an- 
swered in the affirmative, he rejoiced exceed- 
ingly, and exclaimed, " This is a true love of 
God." 

Second degree. — Not to let a single movement 
of an inordinate affection rise knowingly and 
willingly. Nothing is more delicate than perfect 
love. It cannot suffer the least thing that dis- 
pleases its Beloved, and consequently it always 
keeps a watchful eye over all the motions of the 
heart, and suppresses promptly those which 
offend God and sully the souL 

Third degree. — To act with great fidelity ac- 
cording to the inspirations of God. It is not 
possible to love God perfectly and to refuse 
Him what He, by interior lights, and the move- 
ments of grace, demands. God leaves to the 
foolish and blind dictates of its bad inclinations 
a soul that does not allow itself to be governed 
by His holy inspirations. Then it loses the ten- 
der devotion it had for God, and deprives itself 
of all the graces which He had prepared for its 
advancement. 

A saintly woman called Armella, after she had 
been raised for many years to the most intimate 
union with God y once held a conversation with 
one of her friends; when it was somewhat pro- 
tracted, God admonished her to break it off. 
She neglected the warning, to her great sorrow. 



Self -Examination. 223 

He immediately withdrew from her His holy 
presence, and restored it to her only after many 
tears and austerities. 

Fourth degree. — In all our actions to have no 
other intention than the sole pleasure of God. 
At the beginning of each important work say, 
" For Thy love, O my God, and purely for Thee ! 
Thy will be done !" To have this thought so 
present to the mind that God, who penetrates its 
inmost recesses, may see that it actually seeks in 
every word and work solely His pleasure, is the 
work of a perfect soul that is dead to self and 
already grounded in pure love. 

Fifth degree. — To bear daily adversities in 
silence and with resignation, and to adore in 
them the Divine wisdom and goodness. We 
have to speak now of a very important matter. 
Imprint it deeply on your mind. God conducts 
no soul to union with Him until it be well 
adorned with virtues, and has consequently pre- 
pared for Him a fit dwelling. But since virtues 
cannot be acquired without much exercise, and 
they are more practised in time of suffering 
than in an active life, God sends every day 
some trials to accomplish that design — at one 
time, contempt and insults, that by them humil- 
ity may be obtained; at another time, rough 
and disobliging remarks, that meekness may be 
practised; sometimes a stern command, that 
obedience may be tried; at other times dis- 
agreeable aud provoking companions, that love 
of our neighbor may be exhibited, and then, 



224 The Truths of Salvation. 

pains, sickness and other interior trials, that 
resignation to His Divine will may be shown. 
These are the ways by which God prepares a 
soul for perfect union. Turn, therefore, in all 
adversities your eyes away from worldly con- 
siderations, and adore in all things the hidden 
wisdom and goodness of God. This is God's 
preparation for raising you to the highest de- 
gree of love. 

Sixth degree. — To desire vehemently union 
with God. When the soul has fulfilled every- 
thing mentioned in the preceding degrees, and 
faithfully and constantly persevered therein for 
some time, then the particular effects of grace 
generally begin to show themselves. Prayer be- 
comes full of heavenly light, and God Himself 
instructs the soul in the eternal truths. The 
heart abounds with holy affections. Hours pass 
like moments. A sweet peace keeps the soul 
ever tranquil, for every passion is conquered. 
There especially burns in the heart an ardent 
desire to love God more perfectly, and to be 
united to Him more intimately. And this de- 
sire increases so much that hardly a mortal here 
below is able to bear its vehemence. 

The pious Armella was so enraptured by this 
desire that she often seemed to be beside herself. 
She wandered through the woods, and filled the 
hills and vales with her sighs and lamentations, 
exclaiming, " Where is my beloved ? Where will 
I find Him, whom my soul loveth ?" 

True, in many souls which are in this degree, 



Self -Examination. 225 

this desire is not so vehement, nevertheless it so 
occupies their minds that they continually think 
of God. 

Seventh degree. — To persevere faithfully when 
God retires from the soul, and humbly and 
patiently to bear with the withdrawal of His 
graces. As long as the soul is not entirely dead 
to self, the influence of grace and the presence 
of God do not continue. When God thus with- 
draws, then all at once every light disappears. 
Meditation, which before was delightful, becomes 
an insufferable labor, a painful work, a continual 
combat, a real martyrdom. The tender devotion, 
the loving inclination for God ceases; the heart 
is dried up and insensible. The presence of 
God, which had for whole days solaced the soul 
and filled it with the sweetest repose, very often 
vanishes. Such a soul, therefore, is in a very 
piteous state. It has no consolation from Heaven, 
and is not allowed to seek any on earth, in order 
not to prove unfaithful to its Beloved. But in 
this dereliction the very thing is obtained which 
God intended, viz., that the soul may learn to 
forego all consolation, and place its whole delight 
in His holy will. 

Eighth degree. — To bear humbly the trials of 
pure love, and remain in them ever faithful to God, 
however long they may last. If God has chosen 
a soul which He intends to conduct to the high- 
est degree of perfection, generally He stops not 
at darkness and dereliction, but sends it greater 
and severer trials, namely: an uncommon dere- 



226 The Truths of Salvation. 

liction and disrelish for all spiritual exercises 
and practices of virtue, a general revolt of the 
irregular passions, a continual inability to treat 
with God; then follow grievous temptations, 
serious attacks against purity and faith, which 
often last a long time, extreme sadness and 
pusillanimity of spirit and almost despair, To 
this are added divers exterior adversities, con- 
tempt, persecutions, slanders and so forth. Per- 
haps you think now that there is not a more 
miserable state on earth than this ? But not so; 
it is the happiest of all If God does not lead a 
soul to union with Himself in this way, a long, a 
very long time is needed, but otherwise the work 
is done at once. The violence of the tempta- 
tion cleanses the soul quickly, and makes the 
heart so pure that it is very soon fit for the 
purest friendship with God. 

What must a soul do in this state in order to 
remain faithful to its Beloved ? 

First. — It must never omit the accustomed 
prayer, Be assured this time of aridity will not 
elapse without profit. 

Secondly. — It must always continue its mortifi- 
cations, and refuse nothing to God. 

Thirdly. — It must never omit the exercise of 
the presence of God, be it ever so dry, insipid 
and seemingly unprofitable. 

Fourthly, — It must give itself up wholly to 
God, submitting to all the dispensations of His 
providence. 

Fifthly. — It must cherish a filial confidence in 



Self-Ex animation. 227 

God, and, as the more various temptations tend 
to diminish it, it must hope more strongly that 
He will never abandon it completely. 

Sixthly. — It must not conceal anything from 
the spiritual director, but must follow his orders 
with blind obedience. Without this sincerity 
and submission it is impossible to escape the 
snares which the enemy lays in this state. 

The soul that faithfully endures this trial shall 
infallibly arrive at union with God. 

Ninth degree. — To behold God continually in 
the centre of the soul, and to be engaged without 
intermission in the exercise of His love. This 
is the state which is called union with God. Its 
secret consists in this: A supernatural light 
illuminates the understanding, and manifests to 
the soul the presence of God in such a manner 
that it remains whole days in the intuition and 
contemplation of His Sacred Majesty. A super- 
natural strength moves the will and fills it with 
a heavenly flame, by which the soul turns itself 
to God and adheres to Him unceasingly with 
the most ardent affection. The interior conver- 
sation with God, continual though it be, does 
not hinder in the least the discharge of exterior 
duties and employments of office. Nobody is 
more fit for all functions and for all obligations 
towards God and the neighbor than such a 
soul. 

Wonderful are the annals of the Society of 
Jesus relating to Father James Alvarez, Pro- 
vincial of Peru, whose union with God was 



228 The Truths of Salvation. 

astonishing in so many important affairs which 
he had to transact. During twenty-five years he 
never lost sight of the presence of God. 

Tenth degree. — To do always and in all circum- 
stances what is the most perfect and the most 
agreeable to God. I say always. To do so for 
a few days is something of which an imperfect 
soul may easily be capable; but to continue 
faithfully for whole months is an exercise of 
only a perfect soul which has attained to the 
summit of Divine love. 

Such was St. Joanna Frances's. She under- 
took no work, either by direction of obedience 
or the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, which she 
deemed not the most perfect. 

Eleventh degree. — To desire to suffer for God 
and show the love of crosses and of self-annihi- 
lation by accepting all trials as special graces 
and by bearing them joyfully. When a soul 
has thus far advanced, it has perfect love of 
God and enjoys the most intimate union with 
Him. The love of suffering is the characteristic 
of the Saints, and the infallible sign of the true 
lovers of God. This precious gift Christ be- 
stows on those whom He has chosen to ex- 
perience the highest effects of His love. 

Our Lord once appeared to the Blessed 
Margaret, Duchess of Savoy, and offered her 
three dishes. On the first was written contempt, 
on the second sickness, on the third persecutions. 
The Saint not only was not frightened but even 



Self-Examination. 229 

generously said, " Lord, if Thou wilt, give me 
all three." 

Twelfth degree. — To lay aside entirely one's 
own will and to let the Divine Will be sole mis- 
tress. No one arrives at this state unless by 
singular effects of Divine mercy. 

St. Francis de Sales speaking of it says: 

" 1st. Such a soul lives in an entire forgetful- 
ness of itself, so much so that it awaits whatever 
God ordains without any solicitude and with a 
complete indifference. When grievous occur- 
rences press upon it, it turns its thoughts away 
from them, and sees nothing therein but God 
alone, praising and blessing His goodness, and 
letting Him act according to His pleasure. 

" 2d. Such a soul is entirely dead to self, not 
attaching itself even to the holiest things, nor 
wishing for any other exercise of virtue than that 
which God Himself prescribes. ,, 



EIGHTH DAY. 

Examination on the Love of Our Neighbor. 

The love of God cannot be separated from the 
love of our neighbor; one cannot exist without 
the other. " This two-fold love," says St. Greg- 
ory the Great, " is one chain with two links, and 
one virtue with two exercises." " They are," 
says another writer, " two flames which rise 



230 



The Truths of Salvation. 



from one fire, two streams which flow from the 
same source, two branches which come from the 
same tree." Therefore, those who wish to know 
how much love of God they have, need only ex- 
amine how much love of their neighbor they 
possess. 

Let us, consequently, examine how much of 
this love we have. 

First degree. — Never to offend others in word 
or deed. As the first degree of the love of God 
is never to sin against Him, so also the first de- 
gree of the love of others is not to offend them. 

The practices by which this love will be im- 
planted in our hearts are these: 

First practice. — Never to despise others. 
Love solely remembers that our neighbors are 
images and children of God, and on this account 
it esteems them and banishes all other thoughts. 

Second practice. — Never to form a rash 
judgment of our neighbor. Love, unless when 
obliged to do so, occupies itself not one moment 
with the faults of others. It commits all judg- 
ment to Him to whom alone judgment belongs. 
They who observe not this have no regard for 
perfection. 

" Those," says St. Francis de Sales, " who take 
proper care of the purity of their own con- 
sciences form no rash judgments. Only idle 
people notice nothing in themselves and see 
everything in others." 

Third practice. — Never to misinterpret the 
doings of others. Any sensible and discreet 



Self -Examination. 23 1 

person /lever willingly examines the actions of 
Dthers. One who leads an interior and recol- 
lected life never considers the conduct of his 
neighbor. 

"Any work," says St. Francis de Sales, "may 
have different aspects; it should always be looked 
at on the best side." We should throw the guilt 
on the violence of temptation and human in- 
firmity, or on ignorance or thoughtlessness. * 

Fourth practice. — Never to murmur against 
our neighbors, or to criticise their actions in 
their absence, or to relate their faults to others. 
Love is silent in everything, and never speaks 
except to those whose duty it is to correct. 

Second degree. — To have for others sincere and 
charitable feelings. This is the foundation of 
true love. We reach it by the following prac- 
tices: 

First practice. — Not to allow in our hearts 
any angry feeling or aversion towards any one. 
"We are not required," says St. Francis de 
Sales, " to feel tenderly for every one. This is 
not in our power. Temperaments are too dis- 
similar. Many are naturally disagreeable. 
When we have, however, a dislike and antipathy 
for any one, let us make for this one an act of 
true love. We must wish persons of this charac- 
ter all good, and be ready to do good to them 
when and where we can." 

Second practice — To rejoice heartily at the 
welfare of our neighbor. Love has a large and 
expanded heart; it includes the whole world, and 



232 The Truths of Salvation, 

exults at the prosperity of all others no less than 
at its own. When, therefore, it sees that neigh- 
bors prosper it is delighted, feels sincere pleas- 
ure, praises and thanks God that He has thus 
blessed them. 

Third practice. — In their trials and adversi- 
ties, to have a real compassion for them. They 
who have true love cannot behold others in 
affliction without feeling sincere and heartfelt 
sympathy and grief for their sufferings, without 
praying for them to God, and asking for them 
grace and assistance. A heart without compas- 
sion is a heart without love. 

Fourth practice — Not to envy others, when 
they fare better than we. Envy and jealousy 
are daughters of pride and self-love, but joy and 
delight at the prosperity of others are signs of 
humility and holy love. 

Third degree. — Not only to live with all in 
love and harmony, but also to have them main- 
tained throughout as far as it depends on our 
efforts. 

Here follow the practices which may further 
this degree. 

First practice — To subject our judgment free- 
ly to that of others, and to give up one's own will 
and follow that of another in everything not 
against the law of God or contrary to the rules. 
They who wish to live peaceably in a com- 
munity must observe this, otherwise they will 
not agree with any one. 

There are persons who imagine that they 



Self -Examination. 233 

alone are prudent, that their plans alone are 
wise, and those of others altogether foolish. If 
they themselves were Superiors, all would be 
better in a short time. As long as this self- 
sufficiency is kept to themselves it creates no 
disturbance nor disunion; but when it shows it- 
self, it does much harm. I have, say they, more 
experience; I know matters much better. 

" Nothing is more pernicious to human so- 
ciety/' says St. Francis de Sales, " than stub- 
I born persons who continually contradict others. 
They are the pests of communities, the sowers 
of disunion and discord. They are detested by 
every one, while the meek and humble are loved 
by all." 

Second practice. — Never to repeat what 
others have uncharitably said. The Devil uses the 
talking about others' faults and backbiting as the 
surest means to destroy union and concord. 
The world considers it as a friendly act, but, 
in the eyes of God, it is one of the things 
which He has a horror of. " Six things there 
are which the Lord hateth, and the seventh His 
soul detesteth, and what is the seventh ? He 
that soweth discord among brethren. " (Provs. 
vi. 16). 

Fourth degree. — To neglect no opportunity of 
doing good to others. Love is beneficent, and 
where there is no beneficence there is no love. 

These are the practices of this beneficence: 

First practice. — Never to refuse to do an act 
of charity when it is asked. This requires lively 



234 The Truths of Salvation. 

faith; for faith tells us that whatever good w^ 
do our neighbor for God's sake, we do for God 
Himself. Whoever believes this firmly will 
never deny another any act of kindness. We 
would not have had the heart to refuse anything 
to Christ, while He lived on earth. Believe, 
then, that whatever service your neighbor asks 
of you Christ Himself asks. 

Second practice. — To seek opportunities to 
do good to others, and to perform acts of charity 
joyfully, though unasked. 

Love and fire act almost in the same way. 
Fire extends and consumes all that it reaches. 
Love does the same; it spreads and benefits 
everybody it can. 

Third practice. — -To show sympathy and com- 
miseration for others in times of sickness, by 
visiting often and by relieving them as much as 
possible. 

Think of the sick as St. Francis de Sales did. 
" As long as I shall see," he writes to a sick 
person, " that you are stretched on the bed by 
this painful sickness, so long shall I feel a par- 
ticular veneration for you, as for a creature 
whom God has visited and clothed with His 
livery. I shall show you extraordinary honor 
as His chosen spouse. When our Redeemer was 
on the Cross, He was proclaimed as King even 
by His enemies. For this reason all souls that 
are fixed on the Cross with Christ are declared 
kings. The angels envy us, because we still can 
suffer, whilst they never suffered for God." 



Self -Examination. 235 

Fifth degree, — To bear silently and meekly 
with the faults of our neighbor, and to return 
good for evil. 

The practices of this virtue are these: 

First practice. — To put up with all the incon- 
veniences we may meet with in our intercourse 
with others. For this we need but two par- 
ticulars. 

1st. To show to those who have offended us 
serenity and affability, and to speak to them as 
freely as before. 

2d. Not to complain of the offence, but 
rather to bury it in perpetual silence. 

Second practice. — To do good to those who 
have offended us, whenever and wherever we 
can. This is one of the most perfect exercises 
which mortals can perform in this life. 

The testimony of their consciences, and the 
inspirations of the Holy Ghost, make them feel 
then that they have attained the perfection of 
love. 

Conclusion. 

Virtue is learned by experience alone. 

Carry out in practice what you have read, 
heard or meditated upon; then you really make 
the Truths of Salvation your own. You have 
hitherto made but small progress in the science 
of the Saints, because you have practised so 
little what you have been taught. Follow the 
example of the Saints,, who, by diligently exer- 
cising themselves in virtue, obtained a deeper 



236 The Truths of Salvation. 

insight into religious truths than learned men 
could have acquired by years of study, 

Indeed an humble husbandman, that serves 
God, is better than a proud philosopher, who, 
neglecting himself, considers the course of the 
heavens (Foil, of Christ, i. Book, ii. Chap., 1). 



fi&MTij 



